Night Jade
by SailorCopperOwl
Summary: Sequel to A Whiter Jade of Pale. Jadeite and Rei are only good friends. Very good friends. Really. Until Kunzite interfers. Until Rei goes one step too far. Until Jadeite has had it. Until they all misjudge the power of his enemies...
1. Saturday, Sunday, Monday

Author's note: This is a sequel to my story "A Whiter Jade of Pale", where we leave Rei and Jadeite as very good friends. Well, couldn't leave it at that... also, I wanted more action, more youmas, more sex, more fun, more Shitennou scenes... you can easily see why this story is more difficult to write than the straighforward ones I did before, and some feedback would be really helpful. Sooo... if you like it... comment. No pretty please. Do it, damnit!

The credit for the characters and my thanks go to Naoko Takeuchi and everyone who helped to make PGSM.

x x x

**Saturday**

Peaceful.

Rei couldn't find a better word.

She was on a date with Kunzite, and she felt more peaceful than she thought she ever would. They'd tried the dinner-at-a-restaurant type of date one or two times; but to Rei, it felt like a waste. Kunzite was beautiful, scary, surprising. Restaurants were boring. There had to be something better to do with their time.

They found it almost accidentally. She had mentioned a little shrine she was interested in, and Kunzite had insisted he'd take her there. It was a little place near the shore, and no one was there but them. Rei was a bit worried Kunzite might not like it, but he did. He was at ease taking in the scenery, and Rei liked that so much that she forgot to ask him to detransform into one of his many human forms, as she usually did.

Kunzite was interested to hear about Shinto, and to Rei's surprise, intuitively grasped what she was trying to explain.

"Magic theory turned into religion," he said and laughed. "Spells and spirits turning into beauty. I wish I had been taught it like this, right at the place where it emerges."

Rei liked that.

Kunzite then gave her the magic theory version of the place, and Rei, still remembering how magic was being done, suddenly had a moment of clarity. It was like her senses tuned into his, and her perception heightened, and she – _saw_.

Magic turning into beauty. The drifts of the water, the shape of the cliffs, the coastline, the clouds, everything spoke to each other, everything spoke to her. Had she been in her Sailor Mars transformation, she would have stretched out her hands and just felt the magic float through her.

She was at a loss of words of how to tell Kunzite what happened to her, and how she appreciated it. But she didn't have to. A few minutes later, Kunzite experienced something similar. Magic and beauty turned into art.

Rei had asked him to take some pictures with her camera, and it turned out that Kunzite had no idea what photography was. He had seen cameras, but never understood what they were being used for.

Rei almost laughed when she saw the look on his face. Never had she seen someone so puzzled, so focused, so fascinated. He fell in love with her camera the moment he understood the idea, and spent the next hour glued to it, asking Rei a thousand questions, and taking hundreds of pictures.

Rei had a lot of fun just watching him have fun.

It turned out the pictures were good; more than good, amazing.

"You are very talented. You have an eye for sceneries, for capturing the spirit of a place."

He also had an eye for women, judging from the pictures of her he had taken.

"I always liked the sea," he said, beaming excitedly. "Can we do that again, soon?"

"Yes, I'd like that. There are some more places like this one I want to see. How about you? Some place you want to go?"

He shook his head. "I wouldn't find them anymore. It has been a long time. The coastline has changed. Everything is different in this time. I will let you guide me."

Wow. That did something to Rei she couldn't define, but it almost embarrassed her.

"Okay," she murmured.

Then they ate the delicious picnic Rei had brought. She'd asked Makoto to make the food. She hadn't told her she'd share it with Kunzite, she was a bit worried Makoto might poison it if she knew. Makoto didn't trust any of the Shitennou, with or without Dark Power.

And then they just sat there next to each other, looking over the sea.

Peaceful.

At ease.

Just being themselves.

If there was a better way to spend a day, Rei didn't know it.

x x x

**Sunday**

"Ha!"

Jadeite threw another spherical blast at the shadows that were closing in, and again, the pink energy was just being absorbed.

"Congratulations," he said. "I see you guys have learned since we met last time."

Someone snarled something, and the shadows crept closer.

Jadeite sighed. "Go home, kids. I haven't got any more cool tricks to show you. The next lessons will be painful. You don't want to see them."

But they still came closer from all sides.

Jadeite took a deep breath. "Stop right there!" he bellowed, and indeed, the shadows stopped. For a moment, they were all looking at him.

But then, in a simultaneous movement, they started moving towards Jadeite again.

Jadeite made a disgusted grimace and materialized his crystal daggers.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys?" he asked. "You should be mine now."

More snarling answered.

"Yeah, thank you very much, very flattering, but I haven't got time for that," said Jadeite. "If you haven't got anything else to say, you should all go now. Please. Please leave. Don't make me kill you. Don't make me kill you for nothing."

The first shadow leapt and landed before him, towering over the Guardian.

"Nhott fhorh nhothingh," rasped his voice. "Fhorh the hhivhe! Fhorh the qhueenh!"

Jadeite's eyes narrowed. "You are a disgrace for the queen that hatched you! What good does it do your hive if you get killed in the streets? No hive youma would ever say such a stupid thing. These are the words of humans. Go and tell your human masters I'll find them and shove these words up their asses."

"Ttellh themh yourhsselfh!" snarled the youma and leapt forward. It was the second last thing he did in his life, because Jadeite's short blade ended his movement in one quick and cool stride.

It was the last thing that the youma did that made Jadeite lose his usual, cool and composed fighting mood. It was when the youma's head suddenly broke open like a dropped melon, and the youma fell, dead before he even hit the ground, eyes wide open.

It took Jadeite a moment of shock before he understood. Understood just too well.

Yelling out in rage, Jadeite tightened the grip around his daggers, jumped right in the middle of the others, and finished them all.

x x x

**Monday**

Rei sat in front of the fire trying to get into the familiar clarity of mind that would bring her the dreamlike pictures that used to guide her in the past.

But today it wouldn't work. It would take forever for her to calm down, and when she did, all she would see was Jadeite. His face turned upwards, his eyes closed, his white gloved hands outstretched to the sides, calmly awaiting the final blow that would come from behind.

After the second time this vision had come, Rei gave up.

She shivered, even right in front of the fire.

Why did she get to see something so cruel?

It could be a warning. But she didn't believe it. It had to be a trick of her heart. It had to be that letter that distracted her so much and crept up on her visions. That letter in her pocket, that thing that had shattered her confidence and turned her world upside down.


	2. Tuesday

_The first chapter, slowly the story will start. Don't worry, we'll pick up speed (and volume) later. For now, just enjoy, and pick up hints for later chapters. Something weird always happens to my text formations when I upload a chapter, I'm sorry. I'm trying to fix it and make the text a bit more readable._

_I still need reviews!_

__

...

**Tuesday**

_Mars comes home later from school on Tuesdays. I watch her from the roof of a house. Sometimes I follow her in the street, to make sure I am being seen with her. She won't see me. She never turns round. But she must know I am there, she can sense my aura from quite a distance when she is shooting at me in the dark._

_Tonight, we will meet. She will hold me in her arms, she will be gentle and sweet with me when she strips me. And then I will hurt her._

_Maybe today, if I can make her forget to feel guilty for wanting it so much, she will thank me afterwards._

_If not, it will still be fun._

_(From Jadeite's diary)_

__

...

Rei was on her way home. Today was Tuesday, that meant Jadeite would be there. He would have been there the whole day, doing some work and being taught some Shinto basics by the priest.

But after school, Jadeite was hers.

Usually, Rei would never have tolerated anyone in her home for such a long time. But the priest liked him, and Jadeite was too stubborn and probably too dense to understand rejection, he would always be there the next week.

Rei entered the shrine's yard, and saw Ami, Jadeite, and Nephrite. Sometimes, Nephrite and Ami came by on Tuesdays. The happy couple. She still didn't get it.

Nephrite was in human form, his hair and eyes black, like his clothes. Jadeite was in Guardian form, his blond hair shining in the sun. He never detransformed. Rei didn't even ask him why.

Jadeite was wearing the traditional garb of a shrine's helper. On his one hand sat Deimos, one of Rei's tame ravens, eating some treats Jadeite fed her. Phobos, the other raven, sat on Jadeite's shoulder and watched them intently, but showing no signs of nervousness. It always amazed Rei, her ravens were immensely territorial with anyone but Jadeite. It was mutual, Jadeite had taken great interest in Rei's birds. Maybe it had to be expected from a boy couldn't pass any cat without cuddling it, and who even cuddled youmas.

Rei had unconsciously stopped to watch the scene. She watched Jadeite's hands in fascination, his fingers that caressed the feathers of the raven to make the poor sick thing eat some more. For Rei, it wasn't his clothes that made him look human, it was his hands, when he didn't wear gloves, he had long hands and fingers, and they always moved like they had a life of their own.

Ami was chatting with Jadeite, probably about bird's diseases, because Rei could see she was in doctor's mode.

...

"Oh, hello Rei, please help me talk some sense into Jadeite!" was the first thing Ami said when Rei was close enough.

Rei laughed. "I'll do my best, but please don't get your hopes up too high. It has never been done successfully before."

Ami smiled. "Rei, I think Jadeite needs glasses."

"No, I don't!" sulked Jadeite and released Deimos who flew off with Phobos. "I have very good vision."

"That may be," said Ami, "But getting a headache from watching a monitor or reading a book can be a sign of a slight mismatch of the eyes that wouldn't affect you otherwise. You could at least give it a try."

"No. It's not a problem of my eyes."

"Yeah, it's a problem of your damn twisted brain," grinned Nephrite. "Like everything else."

"What's your problem with glasses, Jadeite?" asked Rei. "They'd look good on you. Sophisticated. Less like an idiot... no, that's maybe a bit too optimistic."

She grinned at him, which just made him grumpier.

"I don't have a problem with glasses, I just don't need any. I'm not an old man!"

"Hey, hey! Ami wears glasses for reading, and she's not old!" rumbled Nephrite, and Rei added: "Kunzite wears glasses too, sometimes. I have seen him with glasses. Looked good."

"I am already good looking. And I can see very well."

Rei got a bit more impatient now that he actually started to sulk. "You just don't want to lose your best excuse for not having to do any work on the computer, am I right?"

"No."

"Jadeite, you know, I think Ami has a point here. It's worth a try. I tell you what we are going to do: you can either go with me getting your eyes looked up, or I can go and tell Usagi, and she will tell Mamoru, and the two of them will just drag you to town to get your eyes checked AND to go shopping with Usagi afterwards. Think of how grateful Mamoru will be for a long day with a cheerful Usagi at the stores. And I will talk Usagi into getting you a new suit and beach wear so she can get you things in bright colors for once. And a haircut."

Jadeite shot her a dirty look.

"That is low. Even for you."

Rei grinned and got her cell phone out of her pocket.

"I'll do it. I can call her right now."

"All right, all right. I am going with you."

"Very well then."

"Thank you, Rei," said Ami amused. "I knew he would listen to you. Please don't be mad at me, Jadeite. It's only because we care for you."

"And you wouldn't want to get between her and what she cares about," grinned Nephrite and patted Jadeite on the shoulder.

...

After tea, Ami and Nephrite left, and Rei went to change for the evening and pack everything she'd need.

Jadeite waited for Rei in the shrine's yard.

He had changed into his usual black jeans and black long sleeved shirt. Rei noticed with amusement that the shirt had pink buttons. Other than Nephrite, he always smuggled in his signature colors into his black outfits. Where had he found that shirt? For a moment, she pictured him sewing on the buttons himself. That thought cheered her up.

They started walking out of the shrine and along the streets. They usually avoided teleporting out of the shrine by day; sooner or later someone had to notice, so they made sure they were seen leaving. They headed to a nearby shopping district where there were a thousand unsuspicious ways to get lost. It would also be a good place to settle the glasses question.

However, Jadeite was unusually quiet today.

"What's the matter, Jadeite?" Rei asked.

"She's dying," he said calmly.

It took Rei a moment to realize what he was talking about.

"Deimos? Yes. Not tomorrow, not this year even, but yes, that disease will be fatal. Eventually."

Jadeite didn't say anything.

"You like her," stated Rei.

"Yeah. We're the survivors, Mars. We're protected by our powers and our duty. But we'll see everyone else die."

Oh no... Rei felt her heart sinking.

Change the topic, thought Rei. Change the topic, what can I say?

But she couldn't ignore this. This touched something inside her, and she was afraid she'd lose Jadeite if she let him alone with this.

"I know what you mean," said Rei slowly. "I am the same... I always thought it happened to me... because something was wrong with me... How do you deal with it?"

"Uh... I don't. Not really. I guess that's why I am on partial duty still. But from what I remember, I haven't been different ever before, and they didn't put me off duty then. No idea why everyone has gotten so soft lately."

There it was, the change of topic, and Rei jumped at it.

Rei snickered. "I got a couple of theories. But none that you would care to hear, believe me."

He shot her a disapproving and confused look.

"What was that about?"

Rei grinned.

"That was what you said! Choke on your own words!"

"Huh?"

"Oh man, Jadeite! That was when I asked you about what theories you have about why I can borrow your Shitennou powers. You said you had some, but I wouldn't care to hear them."

"Uh, I don't remember saying that."

"Oh yes, you did. I didn't forget it, because I was so mad about it. That was really nasty, you know."

"Er, sorry."

"Hey, Jadeite, classmates ahead. Wanna start some rumors?"

"Of course!"

It was one of their favorite sports. Jadeite was more of a no-touch person, but he loved messing with her reputation and with the tiny brains of her classmates too much to let a chance like this pass, and offered her his arm without hesitating.

Rei had been mortified by the rumors in her class about her and Jadeite at first, but then decided that this was a wave that one needed to ride to have fun, while waiting to be washed over by it definitely sucked.

So she not only took Jadeite's arm, but also lifted a hand to his collar and opened the upper buttons of his shirt, and when he grinned, she started to comb his hair out of his face, something he hated. He grunted and tried to get away from her, but she insisted. It was a pity about his hair really; he looked so much better when his hair was out of the way.

"Are they still looking?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Liar," she teased him, although she could well feel the stares in her back.

She cuddled closer to Jadeite, giggled as if he had said something terribly funny, and let him touch her cheek with his hand, his aura diving into her skin, something she had only learned to endure by some practice. She promptly blushed when she thought about how she had knocked him into a wall the first time he had tried that...

She let her fingertips wander over his chest, slowly opening another button.

Jadeite grinned and let her for some seconds, but then he caught her hand.

"I think that's enough," he said. "If we overdo it today, I will have to do you right on the pavement next time to top it."

"Jadeite!" hissed Rei disgusted and retreated to the place at his elbow, dragging him along with her.

Overdo it? Overdo what? They weren't even doing anything, let alone overdoing it. It was all just suggestive little gestures.

Next time, I'll kiss him for that stupid remark, she thought. What's the big deal about it anyway? We kissed before, and the world didn't exactly stop turning.

...

"And, can you tell me now?" she asked Jadeite after a few steps.

"What?"

"Your theories? About why I can borrow your powers?"

"Oh, please, Mars..."

"No, really, I want to hear them!"

"I told you I don't remember them."

"Then make up new ones. You are so good at magic, and you are so good at explaining magic theory. Come on, let me hear what you think."

Jadeite had blushed slightly. "Mm, if you promise not to hit me..."

Rei got slower and laughed. "Can't promise you that, boy, but I will do my best to hit you only gently."

Jadeite groaned.

"Very gently. Let's hear it."

Jadeite sighed and gave in.

Rei realized with amusement how his pace quickened, his eyes lit up and his voice got higher and more lively at the same time. Jadeite plus magic, it was like turning a switch.

"I can think of two theories", started Jadeite. "The first one is that when you take over my powers, it's not a conventional power strip spell at all. The power strip is an acquiring spell, with all the limitations on the growth rate specifics and the accumulative back drafts. What you do on the other hand is less limited and seems to have more things in common with possession spells. Which would make sense because my spell instructor in the Earth Kingdom was Zoisite, and he specialized in possession spells. They weren't exactly legal, so if I have ever taught you one in the past, we would have made damn certain we were doing it secretly."

"Hm... can't say I can follow you," said Rei, "but I guess I brought it upon myself by asking for magic theory. Why is the difference between spell types so important?"

Jadeite smirked. "There is a reason why possession spells were illegal, you know, they are hard to control. Remember when you went into an overload... But why would I have taught you that spell, and when? And how on Earth have I been able to sneak that past Kunzite?"

"Can't help you there, sorry. Except that I maybe didn't have to be taught by you. We Sailor Senshi were well-trained in magic. Ever thought of that? Hey, don't underestimate me. And the second theory? I suppose the question of hitting you in the face will come up in that one?"

"Err, yeah. You know, I just can't explain the synchronization rate we have. I don't remember how we met in the past, but I assume we didn't have a lot of time to learn how to do this. We must have been perfect from the start. Also, there is the question how I could have allowed you to gain so much power over me. And I think the explanation is that in the past... we had feelings for each other."

"I know," said Rei calmly, but she blushed a little nevertheless. "Usagi mentions it a lot."

"Kunzite, too. But I don't remember it."

"Me neither. Did you never ask Zoisite to restore your memories about it?"

Jadeite shook his head. "Zoisite is so protective. He always acts as if you were a raging lioness sinking her teeth into his little lamb. He and Kunzite are always like 'He was only 12 and she was so obsessed with hunting him down as a trophy that she even challenged Kunzite to duel over who would get him.' It sounds pretty scary. I mean, for them."

"Not for you?" said Rei and grinned, although she damn well didn't like these rumors about her past self.

Jadeite smiled. "I'm not certain. What would you have been like when you were 12 and some fully grown handsome warrior would have tried to get you by any means? I had strict orders to keep away from girls. But you also were a magical being, and I loved anything magical."

"Wow, imagining mixing those two up, it would have been an interesting time for you."

"I'm still mixing them up."

"You what?" said Rei and laughed.

...

Rei suddenly pulled him closer to herself and wiped an invisible speck of dust off his nose. He grunted disapprovingly.

"More classmates coming?" he asked.

"No, it's Usagi."

Rei snickered as Jadeite's eyes opened wide. He even flinched when he heard the cheerful yell. "Rei-chaan! Hey, Mamoru, look, it's Rei-chan! With Jadeite-kun!"

She tightened her grip on his arm and hissed in to his ear: "Keep your nerve, this is perfect!"

"They will think we are on a date!"

"Exactly. Do you want them to guess what we _are_ doing? Come on, relax, we'll lose them as fast as possible. We want the evening for ourselves."

Then she smiled at Usagi and Mamoru who had met with them.

"Hi, are you shopping?" asked Rei.

"Yes! We're buying a new suit for Mamoru!" said Usagi. "It's so hard to decide upon something, he looks so good in everything!"

"Oh, I can imagine," grinned Rei.

Mamoru looked up and down his Guardian who carried several shopping bags and a girls' sports bag, and had a girl clinging to his arm. He was obviously entirely under the control of a shopping crazed, mischievously grinning Rei and didn't look very happy.

"Are you okay, Jadeite?" he asked and snickered.

Jadeite nodded gloomily. "Yeah."

"And what are you two doing here?" Mamoru asked. "Having fun?"

Rei grinned and turned to Jadeite. "I think we can tell them, Jadeite, they're bound to find out anyway."

She turned back to the Prince and the Princess and proclaimed:

"Jadeite needs glasses!"

"No, I don't! Not really!" protested Jadeite in vain.

"Ami thinks glasses would help with his headaches, especially when he is reading," explained Rei. "We just had his eyes checked. And Ami was right!"

"Oh yes, I guess it makes sense," said Usagi. "I mean, Jadeite-kun is a boy and doesn't want to play computer games, I always wondered what's wrong with him. I'd never have thought he just needed glasses."

"There's nothing wrong with me," sulked Jadeite. "I won't spend more time on the computer with glasses. I only need them for reading! I will not wear them all the time!"

"But you'll look so cute with glasses! What do you think, Mamoru?"

"Err..."

"Do you have them already? Can you put them on? Oh please, Jadeite-kun, put them on! I wunna see!"

"Sorry, we don't have them yet, we were just ordering them some minutes ago."

"She made me try on every frame in the store," complained Jadeite.

"These are the modern times," said Mamoru sympathetically and sighed deeply. "Today, it's a man's duty to suffer through the shopping ritual."

"What was that?" snapped Usagi. "Suffer?"

Rei exchanged a look with Usagi, who had put on The Pout Of Doom. Oh boy, Mamoru was toast. And he so deserved it.

Rei grinned. "No, Usagi, I think I must defend Mamoru here. He is right, you know. It is his duty to do the shopping ritual with you. I think you are lucky that he already accepted it. You know what you should do? Go let him try on some beachwear. I bet he also looks good in everything that's short and colorful."

A dangerous glint lit up in Usagi's eyes. "You are absolutely right. I should appreciate my dutiful fiancé more. Beachwear, what an awesome idea, Rei-chan! We'll have so much fun!"

"Now wait a minute, Usagi-chan..." started Mamoru with naked despair in his eyes. "Haven't we had enough fun for today?"

"Not me!" stated Usagi. "I haven't seen you in shorts all year!"

"Please, Princess, the Master looks tired..." tried Jadeite, but Rei didn't let him get further.

"Oh, listen who just volunteered for trying on something too!" she said. "I haven't seen **you** in cheerfully colored bathing trunks ever."

"And you won't. If I go swimming, I go naked," said Jadeite firmly.

Usagi chuckled nervously, and even grumpy Mamoru grinned.

"Don't let him anywhere near the sea," he said to Rei. "He always, always goes diving and comes back with something huge with tentacles."

"I don't go diving; I get drawn down into the depths by the sea youmas. And I haven't heard anyone complain yet about the great seafood barbecues we've had."

"Look at how they try to distract us from the topic of dressing their butts in something **we'd** like to see," said Rei amused.

"So... do you want to join us shopping?" asked Usagi. "Wouldn't it be fun?"

"Sorry, Usagi, we haven't got the time."

"Err... Master?"

"Jadeite?"

"Just a thought... we passed this new cupcake cafe on our way here and they have a special today for couples, something heart-shaped with pink cream topping..."

"No waaaay!" squealed Usagi. "Oh Mamoru, we need to stop there! I love cupcakes! Jadeite really is a shopping genius!"

"They also look like they make some good coffee," added Jadeite with a grin.

"Jadeite, I think you just saved my life."

"What I'm here for, Master."

"Yeah, yeah, get a grip, Jadeite, you're not on duty today. Let's go," grumbled Rei and pulled him with her.

...

"There's not really a cupcake cafe with a special on our way back, right, shopping genius?" Rei asked when they were out of hearshot.

"Sure there is."

"Really? How come you pay attention to couple specials? I mean, unless you were considering dragging me into pink cream topping hell for a date?"

She said it lightly, with a laugh, but she was a little bit worried. Jadeite wouldn't suddenly get ideas?

Jadeite smirked.

"Don't worry, Mars. But if it comes to my knowledge that the Master or the Princess are planning to go shopping, it is my duty to make certain I know the shops, the cafes, the specials, the shop owners and staff of the places where they might get served, and any potential dangers in the area, everything that goes on in the local crime scene and the youma population and any problem that must be taken care of."

"What? Because of a shopping trip? Aren't you overdoing it? And how do you do that? Go control every place they might fancy to visit?"

Jadeite grinned. "Sometimes. But don't forget I am overdoing it with pockets full of money. I have lots of people who are good at scouting areas. I get their reports and only do the occasional control tour."

It dawned on Rei that the Shitennou had an entirely different approach to do the Guardian's job than the Sailor Senshi used to have.

"Wow, I am glad I didn't have to do that for the Princess. I would go nuts if I had to foresee every shopping move that Usagi makes. We never tried to interfere with her when she was in the acquiring craze."

Jadeite shrugged. "It's not that bad. The guys always give me the Princess duty, but I don't know why everyone vents so much about it, it's quite fun actually."

"Shopping with Usagi?"

"Sure. You just have to plan ahead a bit. She needs a regular sugar intake, I need a regular caffeine intake, I will see to it that certain stuff will be unavailable that day, I never try on more than three things that aren't black, and I never let go of the Master's credit cards. And there will be no ice cream if she yells at me in front of a sales clerk. We're doing quite well that way. She's really nice."

Rei gave Jadeite a side glance, surprised by the gentle smile he had put on while talking about Usagi. She would have assumed that enforced shopping trips with Usagi would depress and exhaust everyone. But obviously Usagi knew Jadeite better. Just shoving Jadeite into the most crowded and busy place on earth, drowning him in sights of silly pink things and squealing into his ear for hours did the trick. Who would have thought? Certainly not Rei.

"Are you actually enjoying this?"

"I have worse duties. It's so nice to see her happy. Come in here, this house hasn't got cameras at their entrance. Ready for teleport?"

"Yes."

Jadeite materialized his cloak, and with a swish, they were gone.


	3. Tuesday evening

"Today's lesson will be shield," announced Jadeite while they were ascending to their training area, a high plateau between even higher mountains, and according to Jadeite one of the few places in the world that had so much natural magic that it was unsurveillable by satellites. For the same reason, Jadeite usually avoided teleporting right into it, because he said he found it hard to track the place.

And with a smirk, he also liked to tell Rei that she could use the exercise.

Unfortunately, he was right. After some weeks of her panting up the mountains in the most embarassing way, Rei had taken up exercising in between training days which really helped.

The Tuesday evenings started to be routined and familiar. They had the routine with the shopping district. They had a routine to collect firewood on their way up. They had a routine to rebuild their little shelter. Then they would eat the lunch they had bought at the shopping district.

Then Rei would take over energy from Jadeite, and this had become a kind of routine as well.

She would take his face into her hands.

"Are you really okay with this?" she would ask, and Jadeite would nod, but not smile.

"You will tell me when it gets too fast?" she would ask, and he would get a bit impatient and tell her to start already.

And then, all she had to do was concentrate on him, and feel his energy fill her. She had once or twice blown it by going to fast, which was unpleasant for Jadeite, and probably dangerous. But usually she got it right, it was easy, and Jadeite, with his eyes closed, looked peaceful.

She loved this part, feeling the flow of the power, looking at Jadeite's cute face between her hands, feeling his soft hair under her fingers. She hoped from the bottom of her heart that Jadeite didn't hate it. He hid his feelings about it, she knew that much. She knew she scared him. But he had asked her to keep on doing this, and he got some kind of satisfaction out of it that Rei couldn't name. The boy was a mystery to her. But he was a mystery that lent her powers, and knew some damn wicked spells she could use.

Now she felt the Shitennou energy tickle through her body, cold and strong, and prepared for what mean little lessons Jadeite would bring up today. She had learned a lot during the last weeks, and not just about spells, but also about Jadeite's rotten character when it came to haunting an enemy. Man, what a sneaky bugger he could be once a fight began...

She built up energy in her hands and flared a straight energy beam into a far away rock. Ah, how great it was to have powers again, even if they were just borrowed for a short time.

"Don't do that, Mars. Pay attention. I was talking to you about shield techinques. You were always good at deflecting energy," said Jadeite. Rei wasn't so certain about that, but okay...

"We will train deflecting for warm-up," Jadeite continued. "And then I want to see if you can catch and hold the energy of an attack. You Senshi never ever did that, and we always wondered why. It is the most efficient and easiest defense there is and makes for great counter-attacks when you throw the energy back. You should definitely learn it."

Rei wanted to tell him that she was looking forward to it, but the words didn't want to come out. She remembered very well the day when she and Makoto had shot energy blasts at Jadeite when he had been evil, and he had just wrapped them around his hands, and prepared to fire them back with some extra spin. Kunzite was an expert at that counter-attack, and had done it to them as well, and oh, had it hurt.

"Anything wrong with you?" Jadeite suddenly asked. He had flipped from cold blooded combat instructor back to caring friend again.

Rei looked to the ground. "I don't know," she said. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You're not going to hurt me. We'll just do low-energy beams."

Of course it'd hurt him. Rei had run into a beam in their training sessions weeks ago, and her arm still hurt where it had hit her. She raised her head.

"Jadeite..."

He looked at her, puzzled and worried. That made it even worse.

"You know I love to fight... you know I love to learn all the new spells... but I think I don't want to shoot at you any more."

Jadeite shrugged. "You know I don't mind if you hit me. It's not like you are able to hit me that often anyway. It's just a mock fight, Mars. It's supposed to be fun."

"I know... only every now and then, it feels real. Memories kicking in I guess..."

It was the first time she had spoken it out, although she had been thinking about this for a while. Jadeite frowned. He clearly didn't get it. "It's not real. It's training. We can't train shield spells without shooting at each other... or is it that you are scared of me shooting at you?"

That was part of it as well... but he had been doing that all the time now, that couldn't be it...

"Jadeite, there is now way I want to fight you for real, not even for a second in confusion. We need to find a way to fight alongside, not against each other. This shooting energy at each other thing has to stop."

"I though you had fun."

The truth was, she had way too much fun. Her fighting style became more power driven and reckless each time. What if she one day got so overwhelmed she wouldn't be able to stop it and really hit Jadeite real bad? Jadeite in battle machine mode looked just too much like he had in the Dark Kingdom.

"That's not the point. Really, Jadeite. We aren't doing this for the fun of it. This is... I don't know..."

"You want to fight alongside me?" asked Jadeite. Now why did he sound so surprised?

Wasn't that the whole purpose of this training?

"If it's not bothering you..."

"No, no... not at all... just..."

To Rei's annoyance, he blushed.

"What?" she asked sharply.

"Well... there is something I wanted to ask you... I just didn't know how you feel about it. But... now that you will be out of school soon, and have some more time... I was wondering if you'd like to join me sometimes... when I have business... there are some people I'd like you to meet. You might like it in India, I guess, or Siberia. Very spiritual places. Could inspire the priestess thing."

For a moment, Rei was speechless. Sure, Kunzite took her to places too. But not as a fellow Guardian. She looked at Jadeite, who was giving her a round-eyed look of anticipation that she hadn't seen on him before.

"I'd like that very much," she finally said, watching Jadeite's eyes light up.

_There is something I'd like to ask you as well... _she thought. _There is something... I got this letter..._ but she couldn't say it. Not now. Maybe later. Maybe...

"So," said Jadeite with a smile. "Shield lessons alongside it is. Hope you don't mind if I get help."

And he stretched out his hand and out of his sleeve, energy left and formed a

transparent blob that sat on the ground.

"Youma!" said Rei disgusted. And then she shot Jadeite an angry look.

"And how am I to shoot that and not hurt you? I know you, you'd whine about a scratch on that thing more than you would if I hit you full front!"

"Of course you're not to shoot her!" replied Jadeite, and he sounded hurt already. "She will just throw an energy beam at us, so you can train to deflect or absorb the energy. Don't shoot her, you have no idea how hard it was to find a crystalmorpher after Moon blasted my last one."

"I hate youmas!"

"You can't shoot me because you like me, and you can't be shot by her because you hate her, now would you please make up your mind about how this is supposed to work? I tell you what - I will order little Bestla that if you shoot at her, she is to throw the energy on me, and I'll deflect it, and you better not stand in the way of where it goes. Double deflection warp - you bet _that's_ going to be educational!"

He sneered.

She hated that sneer. Because it usually meant that he had won.

"Okay, okay, I won't shoot her, but she will shoot me. Great idea. Just the way I wanted to spend the evening. Show me how to absorb and throw back an attack, because I really want to do that to you r- Ow!"

Jadeite grinned.

"Combat training started ten minutes ago. Didn't I say you should deflect?"

Rei shot him an angry look, but only a short one. She knew what'd happen if she started an argument. Jadeite knew no mercy if she let her attention slip twice in a row.

Ow!

Another shot! She knew it! She just wasn't fast enough any more.

"Jadeite, I need a warning. I can't bring up my shield fast enough."

Jadeite shook his head.

"You just aren't paying attention. Bessie always shrinks a bit before she fires. Just watch your enemy, Mars!"

Rei let out a yell of frustration.

"Step a bit aside, will you? By fighting alongside, I didn't mean you breathing down my neck. It's distra- OW!"

"Did I mention she'll get stronger the longer she stays in this high energetical magical field?"

"No, must have slipped your attention..." grumbled Rei through clenched teeth. "Now move!"

She stretched out one arm and pushed him aside, and yelled in surprise when a blinding light hit her. But it didn't hurt.

She looked up and saw Jadeite had built a dome shield around them, with only one hand stretched out, seemingly without effort.

He looked at her coldly.

"Don't do that, Mars. Don't touch me in battle. Bestla is my youma. She will protect me."

Mars took the arms down that had automatically shielded her eyes. She should have thought of that. Man, she hated youmas.

"Sorry," she said. "Nice shield."

He sneered.

Rei sighed and prepared herself for the next shot.

Once she had calmed down, it actually went very well, considering she wasn't in Senshi form now and only remembered doing shield once before, when four Shitennou had attacked them simultaneously with Dark Energy, and broken through their shield like paper.

After a few times, she was quite happy with the shield she could bring up.

"Hey, Jadeite, look!" she yelled. "I got it!"

"Very good. Now reinforce it!"

"What?" said Rei, deflecting another blow. Tsew! And another. These blows still got stronger. This little bitch of a youma knew something Rei didn't: How to reload on natural magic.

"What?" she asked again.

Tsew!"

"Reinforce it!"

"I have no idea how!"

Tsarchrchrchrch...

Jadeite had to shield her again when her deflection wasn't strong enough any more. He nodded to the youma who then stopped firing.

"You need to change the orientation of your energy webbing so you can add another layer," he said.

"Huh?"

"It's also a good idea to slightly tilt the cross adjustment so any incoming blow will force the web to tighten. This way, you can use the force that is directed against you to reincorce your deflection."

Rei stared at him.

"Jadeite, I have no idea what you are talking about. And I am almost out of energy. How about a break?"

"Might be a good idea."

They sat in the lee of their shelter, watching the evening sun over the mountains.

"Are you cold?" asked Jadeite.

"A bit," said Rei, and he put an arm around her, pulling his cloak over her back, and she would take in more energy while they sat like this.

That had become a routine too. Jadeite seemed to be entirely immune to cold. But Rei wasn't. And she loved sitting in his arm. Here, where noone could see them and Jadeite always pretended to be entirely cool with it, she could admit that she missed being held by someone. She was so lucky that things between her and Jadeite had preceeded to the stage where they were almost like brother and sister and could share an embrace.

A whining noise came from besides them. The crystal clear youma slowly crawled towards Jadeite.

"She seems to be complaining," said Rei and smiled.

"She says she is freezing too," said Jadeite with a smile. "But it's not true."

"Like you'd let one of your precious youmas become uncomfortable..."

Jadeite had the soft smile again. The smile that always cut through Rei because she had never seen him make it towards her.

"She wants back in my sleeve," he said. "But it will be good for her to have a look around. She's too easily frightened."

Rei rolled her eyes, but didn't comment. The whining continued after Jadeite had to forbid Bestla to hide in his boot instead.

For the rest of the break, Jadeite patiently tried to explain her how to manipulate a shield. But it was useless.

"Look, let's forget all the magic theory. Just imagine you were lifting the natural energy field off the ground like a sheet, above your head, look at it and copy the structure."

Rei sighed.

"Jadeite... I get the feeling I know why we can't do this kind of shielding. We Senshi can't manipulate the natural energy field. Even I, with my talent to read energy signatures, can barely feel it. I don't know how to look at it, let alone read the structural details. I just don't see it."

Jadeite shook his head. "You are more than just a Senshi. You are human, a child of Earth. Every living being can feel Earth magic. You just need to learn how."

That was so Jadeite... he never gave up once he had made up his mind. And now he had deceided she needed to learn how to reinforce a deflector shield. He would bother her forever with it.

"I would love to learn that, Jadeite. But I have a feeling this may take some time."

"It doesn't matter. I'll work out a training schedule. It should just be a matter of practise."

Rei sighed again. It was useless to argue about the training schedules. She wasn't really optimistic about this shield thing, but it couldn't hurt trying.

Too soon, Jadeite got up and proclaimed they had to start training again, to make the best use out of the last daylight, and the dawn.

Rei groaned when she got up. The hits from the youma hurt.

Why am I doing this? she thought. I could sit at home, in peace, read a book. Why do I have to climb mountains, be sneered at from a stupid Shitennou, and shot at by youmas? I must be out of my mind.

But there was no way she wouldn't do this. Go out at night and fight. That was what a Senshi did. That was what Sailor Mars did. And she had never stopped being Sailor Mars.


	4. Wednesday Part1

**Wednesday**

Part 1

Rei arrived at Kunzite's house. She had been there only once, and the house was still old and not overly well-kept, but the garden was amazing. Trees and bushes kept the privacy of the Shitennou from curious viewers, and an unbelievable amount of flowers had been planted.

Kunzite obviously came from a different school of gardening than Rei who had been taught to highlight every single plant by not overdoing it. Of course, overdoing it was Kunzite's middle name. But when it came to gardening, he had a point. This was beautiful.

She heard the ringing of a cell phone from behind the house, and followed the sound of Nephrite's voice.

"Ami-chan? I'm going to be late. I'm very busy... Yeah. Jadeite again... Bye!"

"Very busy?" asked Rei unbelieving, looking at the tall Guardian who was lounging very relaxed in his hammock under the trees.

"I will be," said Nephrite, putting the cell phone down. "Jadeite wouldn't be that late if he wasn't bringing in a lot of trouble. He'd better have a good reason if he delays my day off."

"Shouldn't you be helping him if he is in trouble?"

"Wouldn't dream of it. Special assignment. Youmas. I'd only be in his way."

"Oh. He won't be back for a while then? I have some books for him he has forgotten at the shrine."

"What, you found his diaries? Thank goodness, he'S unbearable without them because he can't remember shit without his diary and complains all the time. No idea when he'll be back. You can wait for him here if you want."

Rei heard piano music from the house.

"Is that Zoisite? Do you think I could disturb him? There is something I'd like to ask him."

"Sure. Up all the stairs, he's in the studio under the roof. Don't knock, it'll give im a heart attack. Or knock, if you prefer him that way. I'll leave that up to you."

He grinned.

I can't help it, I like him, thought Rei and grinned back.

xxx 

Rei reached Zoisite's studio, her heart beating faster from climbing up all the stairs, and from nervousness as well, to be honest. She didn't knock, she just entered, and she did it hesitantly, and as quiet as possible, but Zoisite had noticed her and stopped playing. The studio was one big room stretching over the whole house, all in white, with a wooden floor, and a huge white piano in the middle of it, and nothing else.

Zoisitte was sitting behing the piano.

He didn't greet her, he just watched her.

It took Rei a lot of courage to come closer. Her first encounter with Zoisite years ago had scared her more than she would admit, for the ease with which he had overpowered four Senshi. Zoisite sitting behind a piano still felt like bad news to her.

"Sorry for intruding like this," she said. "Can I ask you something?"

Zoisite nodded. That was not the most friendly of receptions. Rei was now close enough to almost touch the piano and decided she didn't want to get closer than this.

But he had nodded, so she would ask.

"I heard you can bring back memories from our former lives. Would it work on me as well?"

"Yes."

"Is this... one of the mind control spells? Will you experience the memories as well?"

"I don't have to, but I highly recommend it. Keeping the time frames in synchronisation can be tricky, and I have more experience than you."

Rei sighed. "Well... I don't know if that is okay... the memories I am looking for... I want to learn about me and Jadeite in the past. I have no idea how personal these memories are going to be. I don't know what to expect."

"You don't remember anything?"

Rei shook her head. "I remember many things that concerned my Senshi duties, but not in a very coherent way. I don't remember the personal stuff, no childhood memories, no everyday life, no meeting Shitennou... maybe these things have died with the person they belonged to, and only Sailor Mars was preserved. But I'd like to give it a try."

"May I ask, why now?"

That was the first thing he said that didn't sound entirely disapproving. Still, Rei didn't know what to tell him. She knew so little about what went on between him and Jadeite, she only knew that love and despair were equally high in Jadeite when it came to Zoisite. She had no idea if he disapproved of Jadeite seeing her. Maybe he was afriad she would try to steal Jadeite from them?

"Because..." she started hesitantly. "Right now, Jadeite and me are very good friends, and I think this works very well for us, and I wouldn't want to change a thing about it.

Only... everyone who sees us together reacts strangely. No matter if they know our backstory or not, everyone is getting upset, to the point of freaking out, telling us that we shouldn't just be friends, or shouldn't be together at all.

So, recently... I started thinking that this past could be creeping up on us and wrecking it... We know what happened to Usagi and Mamoru. I don't want to have any cruel old past life raise an ugly head one day and say: Surprise! You are going to kill him, or you are going to marry him, or anything else that could ruin a real good friendship."

That made Zoisite smile for the first time.

He lifted his hands to the keys of the piano.

"Ready?"

"My goodness, no!" answered Rei hectically. "I just wanted to hear if it's possible at all. I couldn't pick a worse time for getting my head messed up than before my final exams. But after these..."

Zoisite nodded and watched her in silence or some moments, smiling at her.

"A real good friendship?" he asked.

"Surprised?" Rei asked back.

"A bit. You didn't seem to be the person who would sympathize with Jadeite."

"No... I admit he is getting on my nerves. But everyone does. Jadeite only more than the others. He navigates on a different coordinate system from anyone I know.

At first, nothing he said made any sense. But when I knew him better, everything he said suddenly made sense, although in a scary way.

And I realized... as odd as it may sound... that Jadeite and I have a lot in common."

She had expected Zoisite to disagree, or smile ironically, but he nodded and said:

"So you've realized it, too."


	5. Wednesday Part2

**Thank you sailor-ice for your comments that kept me from despairing over the lack of feedback on this board, I finished this chapter earlier than I had planned because of you! It's so motivating to hear someone's waiting! **

**OK, I know this is a long and wordy chapter, and exactly why I think my characters talk too much. But I don't find a part that isn't necessary. There is a lot of looking back and foreshadowing, and setting up the situation for the upcoming events.**

**If you have read A Whiter Jade of Pale, you may easily see the references, and also the story Sympathy is related to this chapter, although I didn't include it as I originally had planned.**

**So please bear with a chapter where the action part consists of sipping ice tea. ;D **

**Enjoy the scenes in Kunzite's house, before the drama part begins...**

**Thank you for reading, and please review. Take your chance before the actual M-rated parts begin and you will be too shy to comment ;D**

"So you've realized it, too."

Zoisite looked at her thoughtfully. And he surprised Rei even more:

"Do you want to take a seat?"

"Err, yes..."

Only Rei had no idea where to sit down. The room was empty. When Zoisite got up from his piano, she had for a moment the thought that he was offering her his piano bench. But he just waved her to follow him to one of the big windows. On their way, soft white fleeces and a tray with two empty glasses materialized on the floor in front of the window. Zoisite obviously wasn't much into furniture. Probably ruined the acoustics of the room.

Zoisite pointed to the white fleeces, and Rei sat down.

"What do you want to drink?" he asked. "Tea, coffee, ice tea, water... or something else? I know where Jadeite hides his diet coke from Kunzite."

"Kunzite likes diet coke?"

Zoisite chuckled. "Kunzite hates diet coke. 'We Are The Shitennou, We Protect The Planet, We Do Not Support The Multinational Attempts to Destroy It. And We Do Not Corrupt Our Senses With Chemical Cocktails That Contain No Nutritional Value At All.' Want some?"

"Are you trying to corrupt my senses, Zoisite?" asked Rei and grinned.

"It seems to be the case," said Zoisite with a mischieveous smile. "But our ice tea is also very good and fully approved not to destroy any planet at all."

Rei decided to give the ice tea a try, because not destroying any planet was what being a Guardian was about after all, and Zoisite teleported a pitcher onto the tray. He had been right, it was very good.

I had never thought Zoisite could be so nice and funny, she thought. Maybe he isn't unfriendly like I thought, maybe he's just shy.

"Why haven't we been talking before, Zoisite?" she asked.

"I don't know. We just didn't know each other very well I guess."

"We should change that, don't you think?"

"Yes, that would be a good idea."

"So... if you don't know me very well... how come you think I have much in common with Jadeite?"

Zoisite sighed and took a seat opposite of Rei. He hesitated a moment, but then he spoke.

"I admit it took me a while to see it. Of course we have wondered about how much Jadeite has changed since the days of the Earth Kingdom. How he has become so calm and certain. We were assuming maturity. Until I met you. I hadn't paid you much attention in the Dark Kingdom - a capital mistake, underestimating another enemy, please don't tell Kunzite. But when you came here, to the house... it deeply disturbed me. You are so different from the former life's Mars.

The Senshi of Passion, her emotions powering her strength.

Rei Hino on the other hand, while being a tough fighter, is vulnerable, easily overwhelmed by emotions, and in any relation usually the part that gets hurt.

It's like someone took the core characteristics of Jadeite and fusioned them with the Senshi of Fire..."

"I am...?"

"Jadeito-esk?" tried Zoisite. "Not to the point of being a female Jadeite, but very noticeably though."

"And Jadeite?"

"Jadeite... yes, the Jadeite in this time has brought a lot of Mars with him as well. The confidence, the forwardness, the hunger for power. The way he uses his emotions against us, confronts us. He even changed his appearance...

As I said, it could be he is just getting older and wiser. He had a lot of time to think things through. But still... once you see the pattern, it's hard to ignore again."

Rei let it sink in. Without her memories, she couldn't say if what he says made sense.

"I don't like this," said Rei. "I am me, not someone's soul's vampire. And why would I swap strength for weakness?"

Zoisite grinned.

"Did I say anything about weakness? You don't know it, but Rei Hino is a lot more perceptive than Mars, loads more intelligent. Ancient Mars wasn't exactly stupid. But she was pretty full of herself, much too confident to notice what was going on around her, and it wasn't hard to get things past her. I'd rather not recommend trying that when it comes to Rei Hino."

"I don't know if that is a compliment... so I am nosy and bitchy?"

"I appreciate that kind of qualities. It was certainly entertaining to see Kunzite shaken when you looked through him like glass."

"Like that was hard... he is not exactly making a secret out of his emotions. Ignoring him, now that would take an effort..." Rei snorted, but then she tossed the subject aside. She had more important things on her mind.

"Zoisite - what you said about me and Jadeite... what's the meaning of this?"

Zoisite shrugged.

"It could mean nothing. It could just mean that every new life is a new start. Or it could mean that in those days, you became connected in a way that made it impossible for you to ever be entirely separate again."

He laughed when he saw Rei's face. His sneaky, silvery laugh, but this time it sounded sympathetically.

"It doesn't make sense to you?"

Rei sighed.

"Shouldn't I... feel it? If we were connected... shouldn't I be looking at him and know it?"

"Don't you? Feel connected? Feel like you get along better than you should be able to?"

Rei stared at him. _I just can't explain the synchronisation rate we have... _

"You are scaring me, Zoisite."

"I am sorry. But, to be honest, you are scaring me too, the two of you. We all have interlocked reincarnation signatures, the Shitennou among each other, and the Senshi of the Moon as well. But not to a degree where persons get merged.

This is beyond magic, beyond power, even beyond soulmateship. As Jadeite's former spell instructor, I am impressed, I could call this no less than a masterpiece, and I have no idea how he did it.. As a Guardian, on the other hand, I could kill you both for the risk you took. The chances that it would have destroyed you were incredibly high. It was one insane thing to do."

"Then why...?"

Zoisite shook his head. "I wish I knew."

"Well, at least I think I know about the how."

Zoisite stared at her.

"I don't think you..."

"Oh, then I shouldn't bother you with it. Sorry I mentioned it."

Rei grinned. Hurting Zoisite's precious Shitennou pride using his curiosity against him was just too easy not to do it.

Zoisite stared at her again, this time a bit angrier.

Rei smiled back at him.

"Care about a bet? If my theory is easier and more promising than everything you have come up with, you owe me a favor."

"A favor."

"Actually, I think by pointing out the most obvious idea to you I am already doing you a favor, so it should be fair. And if I am entirely wrong... I don't know, suggest something. What could I do for you?"

Zoisite's grey eyes were glinting with something Rei couldn't quite define, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.

"Well..." said Zoisite. "There is something... let's call it a favor as well. You could introduce me to someone you know."

"Deal. Ok, listen, this is my theory: If I were in the Silver Millenium, and I needed to do a really powerful spell in the size of dimensional links or messing up reincarnation signatures or anything the like, and I wouldn't know how to do it... and if it even involved romance and tragedy and angst... I would go to princess Serenity, tell her a long romantic story and ask her to use the Silver Crystal.

If she wouldn't do it for me, I am certain she'd have done it for little Jadeite, cute, innocent, powerful, and a total idiot. She would no doubt have sympathized with someone who was so much like herself.

So, that's my theory: The Silver Crystal.

What do you think?"

Zoisite laughed a soundless laugh. He didn't look very amused though.

"Princess Serenity never would have... abused her powers... for personal... Oh, listen to me... looks like I owe you a favor. What is it you need me to do?"

"Nothing right now, actually. I need a favor later. I'll tell you when it's time."

Zoisite's disapproving icy glare bore right through her, she could hear his pride whine again, it was quite entertaining.

Then Zoisite laughed.

"Looks like I underestimated you again, Mars."

"Oh, that's okay. I rather like it actually."

Zoisite chuckled.

Then he got serious again, and his gaze flickered one moment.

"How is Venus?" he asked casually.

"Minako? Very well, she'll be back in Tokyo soon."

"If you see her... could you give her this from me? My business card, from my office in London. She won't want to see me, but maybe one day she will need something, and I want her to know she can always find help there."

"Why would she not want to see you?"

"She is mad at me."

"Really? I didn't know that."

"She must be. When I was serving the Dark Kingdom, we worked together for a while."

"What? She never told me about that!"

"I wasn't very nice to her. I'm not going to apologize for it, it wasn't the time for niceties. And she hasn't forgotten about it. She avoids me."

"I will ask her what it is about."

And I will get that story out of her, and a damn good excuse why I had to hear it from the Shitennou first, she thought.

"You don't have to. I understand. Just give her the card."

"No, you don't understand, Zoisite. She really likes you."

Rei remembered dimly recurring long ramblings from Minako about "those who are too stupid or too proud to come forward" but never paid much attention to it, because she thought someone like that and Minako better not got together in the first place.

Zoisite made her rethink that. After all, someone could be shy and still a total bastard with enough temper and stubbornness to keep up with Minako. Now that was an interesting thought. Plus, she wouldn't have to be jealous Minako kissing girls if there was Zoisite...

"You should at least talk to each other again," she said. "I'll give her the card. And... who was the person you wanted to be introduced to? I could still do that."

"You don't have to. You won your bet."

Rei grinned at him. "But I'd love the thought to have you indebted to me."

Zoisite grinned back. "I realized that much already. But we'll have to bet again, and next time, I will win, and cash in my prize."

"Okay, let's do that."

She took a sip from her glass and hesitated for a while. She maybe shouldn't bring up something painful now that things were going so well between her and Zoisite. On the other hand, that was maybe the ideal moment to ask.

Oh well, she just had to, whether he liked it or not. It was too important.

"Zoisite... how's things going between you and Jadeite?"

A shadow flew over his face.

"Better," he said.

Better wasn't as good as 'good'. A few weeks ago, Jadeite hadn't even talked to Zoisite, being so overwhelmed from guilt because he had failed to protect Zoisite in battle. She would never want to see Jadeite in that state ever again. If she had to push some Shitennou a bit in order to get these stubborn guys going, then it couldn't be helped.

"How much better exactly?" she asked.

Zoisite didn't like that one bit, but he answered.

"Well... the Master has given us separate assignments so Jadeite can build up confidence again. And we eat breakfast together every morning."

"And does it help?"

"No."

Zoisite was silent, but Rei had the impression he wasn't finished yet. So she waited until he continued.

"We would long have been over it if he hadn't issues with the Master lately, and accuses me to take the Master's side. But it's not true. The Master wants Jadeite to open up some more, and I want the same, but it's not for the Master's or my sake. It's all for Jadeite.

Mars, you must think I am a cruel man... but we are desperate. We almost lost him, and we are not on safe grounds yet. The Dark Kingdom still holds his soul, even without the curse. He's drawn to a time and a place that doesn't exist any more, and I have no idea how to bring him back."

Rei was very touched by this confession, she felt a little tear in her eye. But on the other hand, she thought Zoisite was maybe missing a point.

"Zoisite, please don't get this wrong... but... are you honest with Jadeite?"

Zoisite was surprised. "Honest? In what way?"

That was obviously not a 'yes'.

"He trusts you to tell him the truth. Would you... tell him the truth if Beryl was back?"

Zoisite frowned.

"She isn't back, if that is what you wanted to know."

"No, that was not what I wanted to know."

"You want to know if I would tell Jadeite? Of course not. I don't want him to even think about her ever again."

Rei felt the uneasy feeling that she had tighten.

"You know what your problem is? Everyone here is trying to decide what's best for Jadeite, but has anyone of you asked him what he thinks? Why don't you have a bit more confidence in him? Don't you think he knows exactly what's going on, don't you think he's trying to find a way? You underestimate him. He might be a slow thinker, but that don't mean he can't be dead accurate.

You should be more respectful with him, and listen to what he wants."

"I know what he wants, he wants to serve Beryl again. And there is no way I could allow that. As you said last time, look at what she's done to him. Why would I ever let that happen again?"

"Because it is the only way Jadeite can find peace. Otherwise, he will always be waiting for her."

Zoisite didn't answer, and Rei had a feeling that the visit was over. She got up and took Jadeite's book bag.

"Thanks for the ice tea. You should come and visit me at the shrine, I make some pretty fierce yasmin tea."

He still didn't answer, and she left as quietly as possible.


	6. Wednesday Part3

Back in the garden, Rei decided to wait for Jadeite. She took a garden chair over to Nephrite's hammock, and they had a nice chat. Rei could have, no, should have left and joined a study group to repeat some lessons for the big exams, but she had been cramming for the exams for months now, she just couldn't bring herself to do any more. Besides, she had a feeling that with the Shitennou, she could learn things she'd really need in her life.

Nephrite who wasn't very subtle tried to get her to tell "what's that thing with Kunzite and you", but Rei just had to be vague about it ("just having a good time"), because she didn't have an answer.

She was relieved when suddenly, Nephrite's gaze became absentminded.

"He's coming."

A rose colored shimmer filled the air, and something huge appeared. A black figure, dragging behind and upon his shoulders several huge dead youmas.

Rei wouldn't have recognized Jadeite if it weren't for the dagger in his hand. He was covered in black youma blood all over, it stuck his hair to his head, was smeared over his face so that his blue eyes shone intensely, and the embellishments on his uniform were almost invisible from being clogged with stuff she didn't even want to know about.

Even his voice sounded different. He yelled out in fury and frustration when he tossed the youmas he had brought with him on the floor and built an energy dome around them. Then he just yelled some more.

He was shaking from rage.

Rei saw that some of the blood on him was red, and that his gloves were soaked in red, and she felt a bit faint at the sight. Jadeite's aura was strong, he didn't seem to be seriously wounded, but she just hated to see him bleeding.

She didn't know what to do, and stayed in her chair, a hand before her mouth.

But Nephrite knew what to do. He had left his hammock and strolled over to Jadeite. He didn't seem to be in a hurry, and his voice sounded calm.

"Hey, Jade. What's that?"

"Ha! Don't touch them! They explode! Can you believe they get their heads shot full of explosives before they get sent after me? And the new thing is, they try to mess with my teleport signature! These three didn't explode but happen to have a signature scrambler on them!"

'These three' were huge youmas, as far as Rei could see through the dark energy field around them. Huge, exoskeleton, antennae... probably hive youmas. Was Jadeite stupid enough to attack a hive?

"Jadeite, let me see your arm. Did you say hi to Mars? I'm showing her a bit how we Shitennou do things."

Jadeite turned his head, but he didn't seem to be in a state where anything surprised him much, so he just nodded to her as if it was entirely normal that she would sit there when he returned from battle.

Absentminded, Jadeite dropped his dagger, and let Nephrite take his arm and examine it, not paying attention to Mars anymore, while he let the dome with the dead youmas disappear with a move of his other hand, and continued ranting.

"Who gives these suckers the right to mess up my personal magical signatures! I'll get their asses for that!"

Nephrite sighed. "I told you, the blueprints for that scrambler were on the internet for weeks now, it was just a matter of time they'd use it on you. You are their primary target. You shouldn't be so surprised."

"Yes, but why use youmas for that? Why force me to slay them? Why blow up their heads? I hate those suckers! I hate them, hate them, hate them! Who does that kind of thing to youmas?"

"Oh man, Jadeite, what happened to your arm? Did you try to absorb these youmas? Are you nuts? You know you can't absorb their electronic implants. Will you stop trying to save them? Slit their throats and don't fuss around, man."

"Look at them!" hissed Jadeite, his blue eyes burning from rage through the blood on his face as he eyed the dead youmas. "Freshly hatched. It's a disgrace! They're juvenile forms. Hardly more than grubs."

"They're youmas, Jade."

"Yes and they belong to a hive tribe with a distinctive brood care instinct. Have you any idea how upset they get when their little ones get threatened?

These jerks take their kids, and they butcher their brains to stick a suicide device and other atrocities in there, and then they send them to battle. Don't villains have standards any more?"

Nephrite carefully dematerialized Jadeite's uniform jacket and gloves and didn't even look up while he ran his hands over Jadeite's arm to detect all the injuries. Jadeite's sleeveless shirt merciless showed more raw flesh than skin, and Rei grasped for breath.

"I guess if they had standards, they wouldn't be in the villain business at all," Nephrite said.

"I had standards when I was evil!" hissed Jadeite. "I wouldn't have messed up a youma or risked an underage servant."

"Just because there was no other underaged servant but yourself, and you risked your life."

"I so did not. And I certainly didn't do something like that to youmas. There are limits. Like I didn't attack hospitals full of sick kids either."

Nephrite had done that, but he just grinned.

"Yes, you were one sorry excuse for a villain indeed. I was much better at terrorizing the innocent than you could ever dream of, right, Mars?"

"I just remember how we kicked your ass each time you tried," she shot back. She was a bit uncomfortable. She didn't think this was something to joke about, but she kept her mouth shut. She understood that this was just a game between the two guys, a distraction for Jadeite, a way for him to blow off steam and unwind from the battle high.

"Yeah, that was one impressive carreer as a bad guy you made," smirked Jadeite back at Nephrite.

"Oh well, we can't all be evil to the end," replied Nephrite lightly.

"Yeah, because Motoki's floors wouldn't mop themselves."

Nephrite sneered at continued to search for injuries all over Jadeite.

"You know, working the broom made my ass look so hot that Mercury practically jumped me the moment she saw me."

"Yeah, right."

"She still does."

"If seeing you in a plain apron does that, I wonder what she'd do if you wore one with ruffles."

"I didn't know you have one, but I'd borrow it. It's always worth trying seeing a Senshi get hot."

He winked at Rei, who didn't know if she should be amused or embarassed.

Finally, Nephrite had examined all of Jadeite.

"I need water. Mars - you're not afraid of subspace, right?"

"Err... I don't know..." murmured Rei, but it didn't matter anyway. With a swish of Nephrite's coat, they were teleported to a clearing in a dark forest. There was a nice little waterfall, and under it a pool of water. It looked ice cold, and when Rei put a hand in, she had to suppress a surprised cry. The water was cold enough to have ice floating on it. But the two Shitennou didn't seem to care.

Nephrite had sat Jadeite on a flat stone near the water, taken a big bowl that had waited at the edge of the pond and started to fill it an pour water over Jadeite over and over again. And Jadeite didn't squeal or complain, but accepted it willingly, even seemed to relax a bit.

Rei felt herself relaxing as well. She looked around, saw some simple bathing accessories, mostly wooden bowls with some bottles of ecological soap and some big brushes in there, and some smaller items she couldn't identify. It dawned on her that the Shitennou came from a time that had a very different bathing culture.

This was going to be interesting. She sat on the grass of the clearing and just watched.

Bowl after bowl was poured over Jadeite, and slowly, washing away the blood, and his golden hair and skin color began to shimmer through. And it was clear that there was cut on his head that was still bleeding, so Nephrite searched for it, and tried to close it with a glowing healing spell that flickered between his fingers.

"Ouch!"

"Damnit, Jadeite, sit still, or I will get Mars to stitch you up like the last time!"

What, your Ami did that, thought Rei, but she didn't protest. She would just watch. There was something between the two boys, the teasing, the bickering, the complaining and cursing, but also the care and trust, that made her feel like an intruder.

Well, not entirely, because sometimes Nephrite winked at her.

Thinking of it, he really winked a lot. Why was he being so conpiratory about... undressing Jadeite? Okay...

Nephrite had dematerialized Jadeite's clothes with a move of his hand, and continued to pour water over him, and he shot Rei another knowing glance.

Rei refused to blush, although she felt like it. She had seen Jadeite naked before, only from up close, not from further away. And yes, the sun still looked great on his skin and hair, and his body hair was still blond and he was once again covered in blood, and she remembered seeing that one before. Nephrite could wink all he wanted, there was nothing on Jadeite that could surprise her. Not if she really concentrated on staying calm...

"You could help me, we have to be quick on his arms," said Nephrite and invited her over with a move of his head. Rei hesitated, but he was right. A healthy Jadeite would have the Shitennou's fast healing, and if the wounds needed cleaning, they better not wasted any time.

So she went over and took one of Jadeite's arms, looking questioningly at Nephrite.

"Look for small metallic objects," he said. "These youmas had implants, and when Jadeite that idiot tries to absorb them into his body, the implants get stuck in him. Hey, Jade, you don't have any of the suicide devices in your arm, right?"

Jadeite had calmed down to an almost too quiet state, he was very pale now and his voice sounded sleepy. "If I had, we would be a rain of blood over the forest now. Of course not. And no scramblers either. But there might be small parts that broke off. If you find some, keep them for later, I need to have a look at them."

Rei quickly examined his arm, but luckily found only one metallic splinter that she could remove by pulling it out. Then Nephrite closed the wounds with another spell, and handed Rei a bottle.

"I think you know that, Jadeite's personal healing oil.'"

Yes, Rei still remembered the heavy, spicy smell. She took Jadeite's left arm, Nephrite took the right one, and they applied the oil directly on Jadeite's wet skin. Towels were obviously unknown to them, or they didn't travel through subspace, thought Rei.

But she could see why Nephrite had wanted to bring Jadeite here. She didn't like the place, because it didn't feel right for her to be in subspace, and she had the creepy feeling she had been here before and not liked it, but it was a peaceful place, Jadeite was relaxed now, and held his face up to catch the sun.

She continued with the oil over some scratches on his neck. She enjoyed this more than she probably should.

But she loved touching Jadeite who hated to be touched and didn't give her the opportunity very often. And she felt a certain kind of pride at the thought that she had earned the trust that Nephrite was putting in her by letting her help with this, and the he appreciated of her being so familiar with Jadeite, while everyone else kind of disapproved.

Yes, maybe she and Jadeite got along better than anyone could have expected, but Zoisite was wrong when he thought Rei would let the past influence her in that. Jadeite was a weird guy now, and from what she had heard, he had been cute as a button in the past. No, the past had nothing to do with it. This was all about the present, a present in which Rei had willingly taught herself to be comfortable around a guy, and that was no small accomplishment.

They teleported back into the garden of Kunzite's house, Jadeite in a brand new uniform, and Nephrite let Jadeite have his hammock, and the straw hat that came with it, because Jadeite was really tired now.

"Mars, do you have another hour or two? Could you eat with Jadeite after he has had a nap? You know what eating is going to do for his healing, and if noone forces him to eat, he will just take the youmas apart all day for studies."

Rei smiled. "Ami is waiting for you? Of course I can look after Jadeite, and feed him after nap time."

"Hey, why does this suddenly sound like babysitting?" complained Jadeite.

"You mean, apart from the obvious?" grinned Rei. "Get lost, Nephrite. I will take over here."

"Thanks, Mars. You know what, if you are taking over the rest of my shift, how about I give you the equipment that goes with it?" And with a proud grin he held up a cell phone. It was slim, black, had a lot of chrome on it, and looked like a brand new edition. And it perfectly complimented the smirk on Nephrite's face with its sinister purposeful elegance.

"Oh, so yours aren't pink like ours?" Rei said in false disappointment.

Nephrite smirked. "Yeah, we're over the pink stage already. You know how to handle a cell phone I guess?"

Rei nodded.

"OK, then let me scan in your magical signature and give you access... Ready. There isn't much that you need to do. OK, everyone who isn't important will be directed to my mailbox. Everyone who will then still call is urgent and needs your attention. Do you speak Spanish? English? English, that's perfect. Just let them feel they are the most important person in the world, pretend to take notes, and let Jadeite call them back later, except the Brasilians, they go to Zoisite because Jadeite's Portuguese is such a disgrace. Think you can do that?"

"Answering a phone call? Of course."

"Give her The Speech, Nephrite. Come one, everyone gets The Speech, even Kunzite," nagged Jadeite.

Nephrite hesitated for a moment. "Okay," he said, "You get The Phone, here is The Speech that goes with it." He leaned forward and shot her an icy, menacing glare. "This is my day off, and if you call me at Ami's, no matter for what reason, even if the world is about to end, I will break your arm. So call me if you must, but ask yourself if it's going to be worth it."

He snapped back to normal, and grinned at her. "See? That's how easy it is to get a day off here. You just have to mean it." He shot Jadeite a smug look. "And not just whine around about trading shifts."

Jadeite sneered.

"We'll talk about that the next time you need time off for a Mercury emergency. Which will probably be around her mother's birthday which you will forget until the day before."

"What?" Nephrite stopped his teleport move and shot him a confused look. "What birthday?"

"See?" grinned Jadeite. "I knew you had forgotten all about it already. Get out of here, Nephrite, I need to sleep, and you are getting in the way of Mars' first shift as a Guardian. Shoo! Go, and always think that you have to keep up the honor of the Shitennou!"

Nephrite sneered at that, flicked his coat, and was gone.

Rei stood a bit lost in the garden. Jadeite's eyes were closing, maybe she could sit with him or at the table of the terrace and do some studying and just keep an eye on the sleeping Jadeite? But it would have been a waste of this wonderful afternoon. Jadeite was so cute when he was sleeping... and that was really a big hammock...

"Jadeite, could you move over a bit? Can I join you?"

Jadeite grunted something, and moved out of the center of the hammock. He really was uncomplicated when he was sleepy. Rei had never been in a hammock, and entered it very carefully.

It took her a while to find a comfortable position that allowed her to have Jadeite cuddled by her side without feeling like they were doing a couple thing. After all, they were just sharing the only hammock in the garden, right? She was just keeping an eye on him.

Nephrite was gone, and from what she heard, Zoisite was busy on the piano and wouldn't mind anyway.

It didn't even occur to her that Kunzite might be at home.


	7. Wednesday Part4

But Kunzite was at home. It didn't take long for Rei to realize that.

Kunzite stormed out of the house, in what passed as civilian clothes among the Shitennou which was leaving the coat, jacket, and weapon away, and came over to Rei and Jadeite, and Rei felt Jadeite stir just from the approximation. Oh great, Kunzite, she thought, wake him up just now that he has fallen asleep. She was feeling a bit awkward, but just because she had gone out a few times with Kunzite didn't mean she couldn't cuddle Jadeite, right? After all, it was Kunzite's fault that she had spent too much time with Jadeite.

But Kunzite just shot her a cold look and then entirely ignored the hammock situation, while Rei tried to get out of the hammock as dignified as possible.

"Where is Nephrite?" Kunzite demanded to know, glaring at Jadeite who blinked the sleep out of his eyes.

"Pleasuring his girlfriend," murmured Jadeite with a smirk.

"Jadeite!" hissed Rei, but he just grinned.

"I should hope he does. I told him he has to hold up the honor of us Shitennou, and if he can't, one of us will have to make good. Think that should motivate him."

"Oh shut up Jadeite," said Rei and rolled her eyes.

"Where - is - Nephrite?" repeated Kunzite in a way that made it clear that he would have run out of patience long before he would ask a third time.

Rei stood very upright, and gave him her sweetest smile. "Good day to you, too, Kunzite, and I am fine, thank you for asking. Nephrite's shift has been taken over by me. If you have any questions concerning Jadeite's condition or incoming phone calls, I will be happy to answer them."

"Nephrite has handed you over his duties? Without permission? He can't just install a Sailor Senshi in his shift and go amusing himself!"

"Oh, please, Kunzite. Some weeks ago you thought I could look after Jadeite 24/7, certainly I can watch him sleep for a mere hour now. And when it comes to communication - Kunzite, I am a modern teenager, and a girl, you wouldn't believe the things I can do with a cell phone. Calm down, everything is under control. Remember, I am a Guardian, like you guys. I can do this in my sleep."

Kunzite grunted disapprovingly.

"I want a full report", he said, and very dryly he added: "Tea?"

"Tea would be wonderful, thank you," said Rei and her smile broadened. "It has such a calming effect on me."

Especially when I throw it in your face, she added silently.

"So I noticed," was all Kunzite said to that and turned around to lead her to the terrace.

XXX

This time, he didn't leave to make tea for her, but simply materialized a teapot. Rei wondered briefly if that meant he had prepared the tea in advance.

The tea was poured in Kunzite's usual elegant manner.

Rei reported about Jadeite's return and the state he had been in, and how Nephrite had taken care of him, handed him over to her, and that since then, Jadeite had been sleeping.

"No phone calls. That's all."

Kunzite nodded and stretched out his hand.

"The phone, please."

"Sorry, Kunzite. I was instructed to give this to Jadeite when he's awake."

Kunzite wasn't amused.

"I am the leader of the Shitennou. And I assure you, I am more than capable of taking over everyone's duty here."

There it was again. That fluttering feeling when she was challenged by Kunzite and knew there was no way she let him boss her around. But man, was she scared each time.

She lifted up her chin.

"Kunzite... you're the leader of the Shitennou. I will always be happy to help you guys out if there is something I can do for you, but my leader is Venus, and my commander is the Princess. So, as long as you're not wearing an orange miniskirt, or pink boots, or a strapless white ball gown, I only accept negotiations, not orders."

"Ho!" sneered Kunzite.

Rei wasn't musically talented, but she thought she could hear Zoisite play a sweet cadence on the piano that sounded like laughter.

"Glad we've settled that," said Rei dryly. Kunzite didn't look like he already had swallowed it, but he didn't protest either. "So, Kunzite, as we are already in a conference here, can I ask you something?"

It took Kunzite a second to get back at his usual composed attitude, but then he nodded.

"I've realized Jadeite has been pretty bitchy lately, and now I see in what state he comes home - that's not normal, right?"

"No, it's not. Of course not," said Kunzite. "Jadeite killing youmas? That's a new one. He has to be pretty upset before that would happen."

He sighed and leaned back a bit more comfortably.

"We had these issues lately with humans spreading knowledge about youmas in the internet, and promptly everywhere we have problems with amateurs making a total mess out of it. But in the States, and in Tokyo, some amateurs have been teaching each other spells, and they have found a source of energy, and what we got were a new kind of youmas.

Now this is exactly what Jadeite has been doing all his life, self-studies on youmas, going new ways, converting all kinds of energy, that kind of thing, so we sent him out to solve this problem, on the basis that he would be able to understand how these kind of people are ticking.

It worked. Unfortunately, it worked both ways, because these people were able to understand how he's ticking as well, and it has become a kind of duel, a series of battles, and each side seems to take it personal now.

So they send him grubs now who try to capture him? And he killed them? I won't have that. I think I will have to talk to the Master to change Jadeite's assignments."

"So it was Mamoru who assigned this task to him?"

"He wanted to give Jadeite some solitary tasks to build up his confidence. We usually work with reinforcements. But initially, I thought it'd be good for Jadeite to do this. It seemed to call for him and his abilities."

"But you've changed your mind."

"Ha! I can't believe that I forgot even for one second what Jadeite's main ability is: Getting himself into trouble. It's a useful one, if handled right. But I don't like how things are going right now. The problem is, noone can talk to the Master about Jadeite right now without taking sides."

"I heard they have issues."

"As I said, leave Jadeite out of sight for a second, and he is in trouble. I have no idea what this sulking at the Master thing is about, but I'm really worried about it, and I have already intervened without success. They just both get more stubborn."

He growled. Anyone not listening to his good sense, even if it was his Master, was really testing his patience.

He leaned over the table and looked straight at Rei.

"Mars," he said. "You always have a calming influence on Jadeite. Also, you have the advantage of being a neutral party in this conflict. Please keep an eye on the situation. I have a feeling we are heading into a lot of trouble with all this."

Rei nodded.

"I have this feeling too. I even..."

She hesitated. She never had talked to Kunzite about her visions before. But he had been very honest and open with her about this situation, and she had an idea of how he had had to swallow his pride to do that. She had to return this honesty.

"I even have visions about it. Scary ones. I can't see what's going on, but every vision is a warning that Jadeite is in danger."

She had expected Kunzite to sneer at her confession, but he just stared at her in surprise. Why was Zoisite making such a big deal out of understanding Kunzite? His face was an open book, and with a bit of cynism and a bit refinery on the sneakiness radar, one could almost hear what he was thinking.

"That is very serious," he said. "How accurate are your visions usually?"

Very accurate. Very, very accurate if you knew how to read them...

"Considering they can be symbolic as well as realistic... and considering I have had several of these... I would rate these ones pretty high on the reliability level."

"I knew it!" she heard Kunzite murmur, more to himself.

Man, Zoisite, thought Rei, he is even talking to himself, and you think I am a genius to figure him out?

Kunzite's attention returned to Rei.

"I am not much in favor of adding a Sailor Senshi to our ranks, but I think we should cooperate further on this," he said. "I have some things I want you to see. I'll go and get them for you."

He got up and vanished into the house, but a bit slower than usual. Rei got a feeling he wanted some time to think just as much as he wanted to get her whatever it was.

XXX

Rei waited, but Kunzite didn't come back. She drank another cup of tea, and waited some more, and then she regretted that cup of tea because now she needed to go to the toilet. Oh, great. She didn't know where the toilet was, and she had an idea what an all-men toilet in an all-men household could be like.

But there was no helping it, if she didn't want to take a leak in one of Kunzite's precious flower beds, she'd better go looking around inside the house.

She had a bad feeling about it. Not that she wouldn't be curious, on the contrary, but she hadn't exactly been invited inside, and she had no idea what to expect, and above all, various magic fields overlayed each other in the house and blurred her abilities to read them, which made her feel extra disoriented.

The terrace door led to a hallway. She made some steps into the hallway which looked dark and gloomy because her eyes were still accustomed to daylight.

"Kunzite?" she asked, not very loudly. She heard some rummaging behind a door which sounded like someone put plates into a cupboard. From across the room.

Someone she could ask for the way to the toilet, even if that someone was in a horrible mood. She carefully opened the door. It was the kitchen. It was old, but spotlessly clean. And empty. Maybe someone had just gone next door? She made a step into the kitchen. Something in this kitchen was really weird although she couldn't say wh...

"SSailor Marss!" hissed a hoarse, but female voice and she was slammed into the next wall. A hand closed around her throat, and she looked into the porcelaine white face of a youma. She also got a glimpse of black leather, black fur, black feathers, and cheerful hot pink accents. A Dark Kingdom youma, unmistakeably, gorgeous, deadly, and damn strong. What did one of them do here, now that the Dark Kingdom was destroyed?

Rei tried to say something, but she couldn't. So close to a youma, the fierce and harmful aura of the evil thing just overwhelmed her. The claw around her throat didn't help either.

"Sso I finally get to meet the ssavage tormentor of Masster Jadeite!" the youma hissed triumphantly. "Now we will sspeak to each other, a little ssissterly talk from girl to girl about keeping your nossse out of Ssshitennou busssinesss. And I will make you regret everyththing you did to Masster Jadeite!"

Rei desperately tried to push that claw - pinned to the wall by one single claw, how embarassing - away from her throat. She could breathe, but she was about to panic nonetheless, and her bladder was making embarassing suggestions about the near future.

"Thetys! Let go of her!"

She had never been so glad to hear Kunzite's voice. And that wasn't even counting that she hadn't ever been glad to hear his voice before.

The youma turned her head and hissed angrily at Kunzite, but didn't release Rei.

"Thetys! Mars is my guest, and the same rules apply for her as for Mercury and every other guest. They are not to be harmed."

And when she still didn't release Rei, he transformed into his full Guardian form, lightly put a hand on the hilt of his sword and said, in an all too quiet tone: "I am not going to say it again. You know what is going to happen if you are stirring trouble in my house. This sword is going through the espresso machine like through butter."

Thetys shot the espresso machine the horrified look of a refined caffeine addict. With a hiss of fury, Thetys finally took her hand back and let Rei go. For a moment, Rei thought she would slump to the ground, but then she felt Kunzite's hand around her shoulders, pulling her at his side.

"But Masster Kunzzaite!" protested Thetys. "Ssshe is an evil witchch. Sshe ssummonss Masster Jadeite every week, and hass her way withth him, and when he iss back, he iss sso worn out he can hardly sstand on hiss feet, and he hass her ssmell rubbed all over him. Masster Jadeite iss a proud warrior and not a playththing for cruel and mercciless Ssenshshi. Ssomeone hass to free Masster Jadeite from the chchainss of lusst!"

"What?" spat Rei embarassed and furious.

"That is none of your concern, Thetys," replied Kunzite unimpressed. "Jadeite is free to get himself into any kind of chains he desires. If anyone were to decide to put a stop to his adventures, that would be me. You do nothing."

"At leasst ssomeone in thiss housse hass to properly look after Masster Jadeite," the youma sulked. Yes, unmistakeably sulked.

"Jadeite doesn't need a babysitter. And now, Thetys, you can leave us alone. I think you have chores to do. If not, I can give you some."

"Yess, Masster Kunzzaite." Thetys bowed to him, and shot Rei a look of deadly despiction out of her pitch black eyes.

"Sshameless sseductress," she hissed, before she quickly swept out of the room before Kunzite might take offense of her behaviour.

Kunzite led Rei out of the kitchen, his arm still around her shoulders.

"I must apologize for Thetys," he said. "She can be a bit protective about Jadeite, it would be better to be careful around her. Are you alright?"

"In a minute," Rei said weakly. A tiny bit protective, yes, and a huge bitch, and of course she had to expose our Tuesday night secret in front of Kunzite. "Can you show me the way to the toilet please?"

"Of course. Around the corner. Nephrite insisted we have one for ladies only."

"And Kunzite... Jadeite and me... it's not like she makes it sound."

"Oh, Thetys is a drama queen and likes a big entrance. Although this was a bit extreme."

"Jadeite is just a good friend. We just sometimes like to snuggle up when it gets cold in the evening, that is all," mumbled Rei embarassed.

Kunzite grinned. "Or in the afternoon? Here we are. If you have never been to an ecological dry toilet, I think Mercury has left some instructions about how to use it."

Rei slipped into the room with no further comment.

Ladies only...

Ladies?

XXX

**Sorry, no jealousy drama - yet ;D Wanted Kunzite to introduce the youma backstory, and he got her all by herself a lot quicker this way than making a scene and risking she'd leave ;D ;D**

**My one-shot "Sympathy" is related to this scene. It was initially a part of this story, but I took it out for being too dark and leaving Rei's viewpoint.**

**I will linger a little while longer with the Shitennou, but only one or two chapters, and then the peaceful introduction part is over and the drama parts take off... and then you'll get a full dose of jealousy. **


	8. Wednesday Part5

Yes, the instructions for the toilet were there, and the toilet was clean and didn't smell. At least, not of toilet.

Mercury had been here, obviously she used this... room. A soap dispenser in the form of a blue dolphin belonged certainly to her, as did the blue cosmetic bag, the stash of unused, packed toothbrushes, the white towels, and the cute little dolphin sticker on the mirror.

Also, lots and lots of notes in Ami's neat handwriting were pinned to the walls in the room that Rei couldn't read, but recognized as the letter of the past's Earth Kingdom. Jadeite wrote in those, and obviously Ami had learned it as well. Neat, meticulous little notes. That were answered in angrily blotched strips of paper and parchment that were pinned aggressively over hers, letters barely readable, but the message was unmistakeable even for Rei.

And next to the happily grinning soap dolphin there was an assortment of shining black feathers, black grease, mummified small animals, a pile of dead spiders, and a tiny pair of scissors.

Dead animals in various state of decay hung from the ceiling, and one half of a huge open cupboard contained various hides, skulls and bones, and an impressive assortment of small knives and leather work tools.

She took a deep breath.

"Ladies only, eh? So I take it Thetys is a lady too?" she called.

A distant screech answered, and Kunzite laughed.

"Every inch a lady," he said. "It would be very unwise to doubt that. Did you find the instructions? We recently installed the very last generation of ecological toilets avaiable, and we are yearly saving an amount of water of..."

Kunzite didn't stop lecturing her on the benefits of compost toilets from outside the room, and Rei wished he'd shut up, because she could hear him through the thin door like he was standing next to her.

And of course, his voice attracted spectators. Great, just what she needed.

"Hanging out in front of the ladies' room? Is that your idea of excitement? Aren't you a bit old for that, Kunzite?"

Zoisite of course, and his obnoxious little snicker.

"I could ask the same about you, Zoisite," said Kunzite amused. "I at least have a purpose here, I am on guard for Mars. Thetys has already made it clear she is not willing to share Jadeite with her, she is probably not willing to share her private rooms either."

"Too bad, I was just about to leave for Iceland. You don't really mean we are having the mission briefing in the queue in front of the youma toilet?"

"If you are so picky, you'll have to wait until I'm done here."

There was a pause, and then Zoisite murmured something, and Kunzite answered in a very low voice, and Zoisite laughed.

What was that about?

And they didn't lose him on their way back to the terrace. He was obviously not in such a hurry any more.

Rei told herself not to be silly or paranoid just because Zoisite wanted to sit with visitors. After all, he lived here. And he was very nice, smiled at her, probably just wanted to tell hr he wasn't mad at her. But she would rather have spent the time only with Kunzite.

"I am very sorry," said Kunzite when they were back on the chairs in the garden. "I should have warned you about Thetys."

"I knew you had youmas, Jadeite told me about it. But somehow he must have forgotten to mention he has a Dark Kingdom Youma at home who is his biggest fangirl."

"Thetys is not like other youma. She is an old friend. We owe her. She survived the destruction of the Dark Kingdom in subspace and was granted refuge in my house. Jadeite takes advantage of her for doing his chores. She is very devoted to Jadeite. All youma like Jadeite, but Thetys is downright silly."

He smirked.

"But I admit it does make her an awesome babysitter for Jadeite."

"Are her feelings... mutual?"

Kunzite laughed. "That is something we all want to know. Jadeite has always liked monsters better than humans. We have a number of interesting bets going on about him, and if someone will actually catch him with a youma, I will owe Nephrite a lot of money.

Once, Zoisite tried to spy on the cellars, but then Thetys entered his studio with a gas can in her hands, and just put it on the piano and said..."

"Next time, I also bring a match..." completed Zoisite the sentence and shuddered. "Which in my opinion counts as proof that they do it."

"It does not!" snapped Kunzite. "You just say it because Nephrite will make fifty-fifty with you if you bring the evidence! But if Thetis throwing a fit would be evidence for anything, she would get some all the time!"

"Who says she doesn't?" replied Zoisite and grinned. "Does anyone know what Jadeite REALLY does in the cellars? He could have litters of spawnlings running around down there and we wouldn't know about it. With all the subspace portals he has opened under the house, he must have more room than Australia."

"He'd better not turn up from the cellars with a younger version of himself and expect us to raise that," growled Kunzite. "I'll cut my head off with my own sword before I go through that ordeal again."

"What, you raised Jadeite?" asked Rei interested.

"Oh, not me alone, there are things that even the bravest can't do. Endymion's mother, the Queen, did the biggest part, but when she died, the boy was ours. Noone else had the magic resistance you needed around him. For years, I had no other wish than to wake up without some of his jelly youma in my boots."

"Or tentacles around my throat before sunrise," added Zoisite with a grim smile.

"Huge spider legs in my face!"

"Slime dripping from youma hives on the ceiling!"

"And blood!"

"And he always had youmas up his sleeve!"

"In his pockets!"

"Up his nose once!"

"Twice! And I don't want to know how many youmas he has eaten."

"Ate the most unbelievable things if he liked their magical signature."

"Do you remember how Nephrite wanted to find out his signature beetle when Jadeite was small, and he just ate them all?"

"But you must admit he was a fast learner."

"Unfortunately. Learned every spell years before he could handle it safely."

"Could imitate every spell if he had seen it once."

"Rogue spells hitting everywhere!"

"Could materialize a shard of glass before he could wipe his nose..."

"... and cut himself every damn single time with it!"

"And then you taught him to materialize a crystal knife instead..."

"...and he cut himself with that!"

"Yes, he was always bleeding from something."

"Always bleeding from youma bites!"

"Always bleeding from tripping over his own feet."

"Always bleeding from losing every single mock fight in sword class."

"And then he always had fleas from hiding in the stables."

"I still think he got them from the rats in the dungeons when he was looking for new youmas."

"Or feeding the ones he already had."

"And he was always stupid enough to be the first to test the ice in winter, and he always broke in!"

"Pneumonia, twice in a row!"

"And three years in a row!"

"Food poisoning!"

"No, that wasn't food poisoning. His mother only had to poison his food once when she visited the palace and he would throw up every time she was mentioned."

"It's amazing how a kid can turn after his father."

"Or the demon that posessed him, it's sometimes hard to tell."

"Do you remember when he was ordered to be shot at sight by the King's Guard if he was seen in a black transformation suit ever again."

"At the age of seven."

"And he ratted on them at the Queen because he had included her heraldic colors in his transformation and demanded they couldn't shoot that, and he got away with it!"

"Strolled right in front of the King's Guard in his damn pink-rimmed pitch black hell-spout-all-your-evil demon enchanter suit, holding the hand of the Queen! The King almost had a heart attack!"

"Me too!"

"You? You were grinning! And you wrote a little song about it, and I heard it has been forbidden in the Kingdom before you even finished the last note."

"Kunzite, you shouldn't believe all the palace rumours. But some years later, I wrote a nice piece when Jadeite fed the leader of the King's Guard to a cave youma."

"Yes, that was a good one."

Kunzite smiled for a moment, deep in memories, then he turned around to face Rei, a very serious expression on his face.

"So, Mars, I hope now you have an idea what you will get yourself into if you and Jadeite aren't being - _responsible_."

Rei stared at him, unable to follow that rapid change of direction that this conversation was taking.

"Kunzite!" said Zoisite reproachful. "These modern young people know more about these things than you and I will ever be able to imagine."

Kunzite sneered. "I see the modern young people out there on my night patrols and I'm not impressed."

"Wait a minute!" Rei had suddenly caught up with what Kunzite had said a moment before. "What was that about with... being responsible?" She blushed. "You don't think Jadeite and me are... I told you we're not..." she took a deep breath. "And if we would, I certainly wouldn't discuss the details with you."

Kunzite smiled at her.

"You don't have to. Just had to mention it. I've been young too, you know."

That understanding tone of Kunzite and Zoisite's smile made it even worse for Rei. She had a feeling that Kunzite was enjoying this, seeing her all embarassed and flushing, probably he was taking revenge for the hammock moment. And the chainss of lusst.

So Kunzite wasn't as indifferent about it as he pretended, and certainly not half as understanding as he made it sound. She should have been worried. But she felt relieved. If he had given up that easily on her, she would have felt bad about herself.

"It's okay, Kunzite," she said. "Good to know you care. You don't have to worry about me."

She wouldn't be giving up on him that easily either.

"So how about I tell some amusing stories about your past now to make things fair? You bet I know some," they suddenly heard Jadeite's voice. He was coming over to them, still looking sleepy, his hair messed up from sleeping it whlie it was wet, and he was sulking.

Rei grinned, that was too adorable.

Kunzite pointed to the fourth chair at their table.

"Sit down with us, Jadeite."

Jadeite's gaze glid over Zoisite and got cold. That was not adorable at all.

"No, thanks, I haven't got time. I have some fresh youmas down in my study that I need to deactivate before they blow up the house."

"At least eat something," said Zoisite softly.

"I'll take something from the kitchen with me," said Jadeite and turned to leave.

"I'll see to it that he does," said Rei hastily, snatched the book bag and followed Jadeite into the house.

"Jadeite!" called Kunzite, and Jadeite stopped in the door.

Kunzite grinned. "There will be no dessert if you blow up the house!"

Jadeite just sneered and went inside.

But Rei saw the movement of his hair that said he was smiling.

XXX

Rei followed Jadeite into the kitchen. She eyed around very suspiciously, but Thetys didn't show up.

"Shouldn't you be with your study group now?" asked Jadeite grumpily without turning around.

"I brought your books," answered Rei instead. She sure wouldn't start a study group discussion with Jadeite now.

Jadeite's eyes widened.

"My books!" he squealed.

He snatched the bag out of her hands, and opened it - only to give Rei a worried look.

"Did you take them out?"

"No, I didn't touch them. I just took the bag. Anything wrong?"

"Someone has changed the order they were in. And the most important one is missing. My diary!"

"But... what does that mean? Who takes one book and leaves the rest? Do you have a stalker?"

"Dozens," said Jadeite grimly. "So I didn't just mislay my bag. Someone took it, looked everything through and took the one book that was unreadable to them... the one book that is irreplaceable."

He got angrier the longer he ranted.

"Shit!" he hissed through clenched teeth. "I need this book!"

"You need it to remember, right?" asked Rei who remembered Nephrite had mentioned that. "So, what did you write in there?"

"Everything I did last week. Especially all the details about the mission. I know I found out a lot of things about the hive they use, and the source of the technology they use... but I can't remember the details! That's what I have diaries for!"

Jadeite's memory was in a sorry state indeed, Rei had known that. She had known he kept a diary, but she hadn't grasped the full meaning it would have for him. This was bad. Very bad.

"Any backups or copies?"

"No. Most stuff in there is personal, the rest... I would have given Kunzite a report today, and he would remember it. But I can't do that now. A whole week lost!"

"Jadeite, calm down. I think the number of people who would know what they were looking for in your bag should be small. It can't be too hard to find them. They did it at our shrine, a sacred place and my home. I take this kind of thing pretty personal, I will find them and roast them. Noone comes to the shrine and steals your memories. I promise you'll get your diary back!""

That brought a little smile back on Jadeite's face.

"Thanks," he said.

He took a bowl and filled it with some stew from a pot on the stove.

"Want some, too?" he asked.

"What is it?" asked Rei doubtful.

Jadeite smirked. "Rule Number Qne in youma cuisine: You don't want to know."

He stirred his bowl with a spoon, and produced a tiny head of a rodent Rei had never seen before in her life, and, coming to think of it, wouldn't ever want to see again.

Jadeite eyed it critically, but seemed to be okay with it, because he put it back in his bowl again, and to Rei's horror, started to eat the stew without bothering to investigate the contents further.

"How many subspace levels can you do before you puke?" asked Jadeite between two spoonfuls.

Rei was extremely irritated by this question, because she felt slightly like throwing up already. With some difficulty, she forced herself to take her gaze off the stuff that swam in his stew.

"Err... no idea... never tried... why?"

Jadeite put his half eaten bowl aside and took a deep breath.

"I would like you to see something in my study," he said, and it sounded a bit sheepish. "I could use your help with something. It's a computer problem, I would normally ask Mercury to help me with that, but I've already delayed Nephrite, if I cut into his Mercury time any more, he'll be cranky all week. I'm really sorry that I bother you with it, but it's very important. Maybe you could have a look at it?"

Rei was flattered that he'd ask her for help, and curious to see Jadeite's study. She had never been to a boy's room before.

"Of course. I am still on duty, after all. I haven't given you Nephrite's phone yet. I don't know much about computers really, but it can't hurt to have a look at it."

"Only we need to descend several subspace levels to get there, and I don't want to teleport you through them."

But Rei agreed to try it, and he led her to a metal door in the back of the kitchen, and down the stairs to the basement, a simple storage room. With a simple subspace portal in one of the walls.

"This is a multi-level portal with a deep submerge in subspace. You should maybe have some more energy before you go through if you're not used to it."

Rei put her arm around his waist and concentrated for several seconds.

Before she knew it, Jadeite had brought his arm round her shoulders, and stepped through the portal with her.

Jadeite took Rei's elbow after they went through it, and so far, Rei didn't feel anything peculiar, except the slightly disoriented feeling that subspace always had for her.

They climbed down a long flight of stairs with the only source of light being a ball of energy Jadeite had built up in his hand. The flickering light made him look very young. They crossed a big hall of stone with long pillars in the middle, and went thrugh a maze of other halls and corridors. Jadeite, in a dark place in subspace, it brought back memories. Unpleasant ones. Fortunately, they reached their destination before Rei could remember too much about the times she would have found herself at the wrong end of Jadeite's dagger at a place like this.

XXX

Jadeite's study was a surprise.

It was brightly illuminated, and huge, with brick walls and a high ceiling. A long table filled with parchments, drawings, and crystals stretched through the whole room, and shelves lined the walls, containing meticulously archived bones, crystals, and remains of electronic devices. There were books, and there was parchment and paper, and hundreds of modern pencils stacked up neatly, there was a wall full of anatomical drawings of youmas and magical diagrams. Also, there was a little shrine of unkown kind, and a picture of Kali in between other stuff, and a brand new coffee machine. Everything was clean and sorted, and there wasn't a speck of dust visible anywhere. A black dome at the far end looked familiar to Rei, that had to be the new youmas.

This had to be the most massive amount of youma knowledge in the world, built up by a boy who didn't even remember what he had had for breakfast the day before.

On the table, Rei spotted a new diary, and several pages were already filled in Jadeite's neat handwriting.

"Have you written all that in one day?" she asked, and Jadeite just nodded.

"And... didn't you want to keep these youmas from exploding?"

"Oh, that... that's not urgent. If I'd let anyone send a radio signal in here that reaches their suicide program, I deserved to be blown up."

Rei swallowed the comment that wanted to be out.

"Do you sleep here too?" she asked instead.

"No. We sleep outside, in the garden."

"All year?"

"Yeah. It's nice there. Not much time to sleep anyway."

"And... where's that computer I was supposed to have a look at?"

There was a laptop bag under the table, and Jadeite put away his diary to make room for the laptop. Rei couldn't help noticing that the shelf he put the diary on contained dozens of similar volumes.

"So, what's the problem?" asked Rei while Jadeite started the computer.

They sat together on a long bench that lined the table on one side.

Jadeite explained.

"There is this group of young people here in Tokyo who are a bit too far into all that online youma sites. They call themselves 'Demon Hunters', and their main goal is to catch 'that powerful demon Jadeite'."

Rei giggled.

"They think you're a demon?"

"Yes. The problem is that they are stupid as shit, but know more about magic than they should, and they are connected with similar groups in America that bother Nephrite, and other groups worldwide, and they get in my way wherever they can.

We almost had them once, but now they use this heavy encryption that Mercury can't break any more, and I wanted to know if they have information about the youma that keep attacking me. So I hired someone who should become a member, and it seems he is in now. This is the first time he has been in their inner circle, and he says the chat of yesterday evening is important. But I can't read it.

Mercury has written a translator that gives the text in our writing - but with these chat speak, it just doesn't make any sense at all if it's translated. My contact says it's even crap in Japanese, but I still need to know it.

So, could you..."

"I have a condition - you will wear the new glasses at the computer all the times when we get them!"

"If you insist... but please read it, I need to know what they know!"

"Okay then, let me see... whoa, these guys are nuts... Wow, Jadeite, listen to this, there's a girl and her screen name is JadeitesMistress01 - and another one is 02... how many of these do you have I wonder?"

Her eyes skimmed the first paragraphs and suddenly got caught by a name she knew too well.

"Hikawa shrine?" she shrieked. "These guys followed you to the shrine? They creep up on us at my home?"

"They WHAT?" hissed Jadeite. "Please, read it to me!"

**JadeitesMistress01: I have skipped sports class today to watch the suspicious Hikawa shrine, and he was there! Jadeite! In person! I met him in person! The energy meter confirmed enormous readings of evil energy! And I was able to watch him from very close! He really tries hard to pass for human, he almost got it right, and he's so handsome! There are hints of demon if you know what to look for, but that makes him just more adorable. He's really really cute! **

**DHunter: Missy, facts, please. What's a demon doing at this shrine? **

"Now that's a good question," said Rei. "Tell me, demon, why does this little airhead get a reading of evil energy from you?"

"I don't know," said Jadeite. "I just had Bestla with me, and she's not evil."

"You what? You bring a youma to the shrine? Didn't I tell you I never want to see a youma ever again there?"

"And did you see her there? She just needed some outworld experience, and the priest was really interested to hear my theory about crystalmorpher activity in glaciers."

"You aren't corrupting a very devoted Shinto priest into tolerating youmas among humans, you really aren't, because boy, will you be in trouble if you are."

Jadeite grinned. "You are just jealous because that girl thinks I'm cute."

Rei shot him a grim look. "Yeah, so cute you almost pass for human, congratulations. This stupid stuff goes on and on... listen..."

**JM01:I couldn't believe it, but he was selling charms! I bought one, and I looked into his deep blue eyes, and then eeeeeeeeep...**

**DHunter: Oh Missy, will you please get a grip!**

**JM02: Oh shut up, what happened?**

**JM01: He touched my hand!**

**JM02: No waaaaaaay...**

**DHunter: Next mission, boys only.**

**JM02: Oh yeah? You think you can keep us out when the fun starts? **

**From now on, we'll stick to him until we found out all his secrets! We'll stick to him as close as possible... or closer... and closer...**

**JM01: Aaaaah...**

**JM02: And when we have him under our control, and he really is the demon lord we are looking for...**

**JM01: Oh please please please let him be the demon lord! He's so cute! I want him! I want to be the one who captures him! I want to chain him and torture him! I want to hear him scream!**

"What?" shrieked Jadeite.

Rei grinned, but there was also anger in her eyes.

"The internet is full of psychos. Looks like your fanclub is attracting them."

"But... I remember her. She was there yesterday, before noon, and I wondered why she wasn't at school. She bought a charm, and then she followed me around and stared at me, and she made me nervous. And now you are telling me she wants to put me in chains! And torture me!"

Rei sighed. It was kind of disarming to see how genuinely shocked Jadeite was. So she went down some cynism levels and tried to say something calming.

"Look, Jadeite, when people think noone watches them, they sometimes say things they would never say or do in real life. She's exaggerating. She wouldn't do that kind of thing."

Jadeite didn't calm one bit. "Rei, you don't understand! I grew up in the palace, always close to Queen Andromeda, listening to the chatter of her courtiers, and believe me, after some years of that, nothing surprises you any more. I'm not a prude. I know what adults can come up with.

But these are kids! I saw that girl, and she is so young! She can't be older than 14! What happened to the world that little ones of her age plan on hunting and chaining boys?"

Rei sighed again, and deeper. "I was 14 when I became a Guardian, and I hunted you. And if I remember correctly, you hunted me as well, and you couldn't have been much older. Maybe we aren't the right ones to judge them."

"But would you have done the things she talks about?"

"No. You?"

"Yeah. I would have. But not for the sake of entertainment. You better believe we 'Senshi hunters' were dead serious about our missions."

"Hey, demon lord, why don't you shut up and let me read the rest?"

**JM01: You haven't heard anything yet. Hunter, tell them!"**

**DHunter: We have our enemy's diary! Missy has been able to get hold of it!**

"What?" snarled Jadeite. "She stole my diary! She's so going to regret that!"

**Slayr: Then it should be easy to get him! I need to see it! Show us!**

**DHunter: That's the problem. It's written in an unknown language! It doesn't resemble anything we've seen so far. I currently have several people working on it, and shot it through a number of decryption programs, but we haven't got any useful results yet.**

**Slayr: Then how do you know it's a diary?**

**DHunter: The demons use our calendar. **

**JM01: He has wonderful handwriting, very stylish, and a talent for drawing. Oh, and Hunter, look closer, he uses kanji sometimes, for names. But he gets them wrong. He mustn't know how to properly read or write. He must be quite helpless in our world. **

**JM02: Well, we can help him about that ;D**

**JM01: Exactly! Let's put him out of his misery!**

"Are they dumb? How would I fill a diary if I wasn't able to write? Just because those suckers can't read it they think I can't write properly?"

"Wait, Jadeite. Now comes the scary part."

**Slayr: Did you all see the last video? He deactivated all the scramblers, even the hidden one. s0r0k has totally failed us on that plan. We should stop playing around and go after him with all that we have! **

**DHunter: I won my bet! He can kill more than a dozen youmas in one minute! **

**JM01: He's just the best! **

Rei shot a side glance at Jadeite when he kept silent to that. He had lowered his head to his battle stance and stared at the computer screen as if he was thinking about which spell would blast it fastest.

"Jadeite?" asked Rei. "I think we should show this to Kunzite."

"No."

"Jadeite... these kids may sound dumb as shit, but they were clever enough to attack you with technology that affects your magic abilities, and they are powerful enough to control a hive of youmas. And now they have your diary, and believe me, they will decypher it, and find a weakness. You need reinforcements."

"No."

"Jadeite... please..."

"I said no. This is my mission, assigned to me because the Master thinks I used to be the same kind of kid that they are. If I can't prove I know a bit more and fight a lot better than they do, the Master will be right. And there is no way, no way in ten thousand years, that I will be like these devils even for one second. I will kick their asses and teach them a lesson, and I will kill the guy who cut into the skull of a grub to push a suicide device in there and blew it up in my face."

Rei felt her throat tighten.

"This guy could be a grub himself," she said. "What if they're all kids?"

"That's no excuse. Everyone who is older than five knows that being cruel to the helpless is wrong."

"And you? Remember the Dark Kingdom. You lost every youma against us, and still brought up more. Didn't you know it was wrong?"

"Yes."

That silenced Rei for a second. She knew she was steering into dangerous waters.

"So how is this any different?"

Jadeite kept silent for a while. His face was so tense that it looked like someone had taken a handful of skin on the back of his head and pulled.

"Everything in this is different. My youmas fight with grace, and die in dignity. They volunteer for battle, I never use force. I fight by their side, and we are one.

In the Dark Kingdom... you have no right to judge me, Mars. You know nothing. Nothing at all."

"I was there, Jadeite," reminded Rei him softly. "I saw you."

She had seen him turn his dagger against himself, holding it at his throat at Queen Beryl's command.

She had seen him throw himself between Queen Beryl and any danger, without hesitating, a Guardian to the bones.

And she had seen him in her shrine's yard, the look he had thrown Zoisite. The desperate look of someone who was offered a friendship that he was still unable to return because of their time in the Dark Kingdom. Zoisite was right, this wasn't over yet.

"I don't judge you," she said. "I know you, and I know you aren't cruel, and you never were. I know what Dark Energy did to Ami, and I can only guess what it did to you. Don't be mad at me, please. I don't think you're like these kids. These kids are evil. But I don't want them to make you so hateful. They made you kill youma kids, and look what a victory it is for them. If they can make you kill a human kid, what else is there then they can't make you do? Don't let them control you, Jadeite. Don't let them manipulate you. You can't let the cruel ones set the standards."

She wanted to put a hand on his arm, but he pulled his arm away and gave her a cold look.

"I'll handle this, and I'll handle this as I think is right. You can spare me your innocense of childhood speeches. These kids have decided to meddle with the evil, they steal, enslave and kill. Their childhood is over.

I've survived all their assaults, I've won all their battles. I will stop them. You don't have to tell me about standards. I've been a Guardian all my life. I raised my dagger against men and monsters three times my size before I was old enough to shave because I had standards. I held the line against Metallia's troops even when I knew we couldn't win, even when my prince had deserted me, even when we already had lost Zoisite. I offered my queen my life when she was desperate, and I guarded the life energy of my Master until he needed it.

I am so sick of people who think they need to tell me what being a Guardian is all about. I'm the Guardian. I decide.

Don't lecture me on how to do my job, _Rei Hino_. Just. Don't."

Rei stared at him for a moment, speechless. Then she stormed out.

She made some steps around the corner of the corridor, and stopped, her heart beating. Who did he think he was, calling her Rei Hino like it was the worst insult he could think of? And wasn't she a Guardian too? Hadn't he just yesterday treated her like one, hadn't she just finished her first shift as a Guardian of Earth in his place?

But then she took a deep breath, and tried to calm down. She came to realize the sounds around her, and she felt terribly out of place.

She wanted to go home.

But she couldn't. Jadeite was in trouble. She couldn't just leave him like this. She wouldn't leave him to these demon hunters that truly scared her..

She took a deep breath. Stupid, stubborn Jadeite playing stupid male games with his stupid Master! Had they all lost their minds?

She turned around and hurried back to Jadeite's study, opened the door and bumped full force into Jadeite who was just as hurriedly on his way out.

They both angrily glared at each other.

"You take that back!" demanded Rei.

"You too!"

"Me? What did I say that I have to take back?" hissed Rei.

"And me?" sulked Jadeite. "I didn't say anything that wasn't true."

"You called me Rei Hino!"

"But that's your name!"

"Not if we talk about Guardian business. I'm a Guardian too, and you will call me Mars!"

"I always do that anyway."

"Fine. Then I take it there won't be a problem with this in the future?" said Rei.

"And you? Finished with giving me lectures on Guardianship after doing one single hour of Nephrite's shift?"

"I wasn't lecturing you on guarding, I was lecturing you on common sense. And when did you last have one single hour of that?"

Jadeite smirked. "Does adding up single minutes count?"

That made Rei laugh. "Peace?"

Jadeite shrugged. "Peace."

They watched each other for a moment.

"You know, Jadeite, we need to kiss now."

"Need to?"

"Pledge of good will. Can't be avoided."

"What, I don't see any classmates around?" grinned Jadeite.

"What, I don't see Kunzite around?" returned Rei. Jadeite had kissed her once. To tease Kunzite. It had worked marvellously. Time to return that favor. Even without her abilities, Rei was certain that Thetys wouldn't leave her precious Masster Jadeite out of her eyes. And she owed her a bit of showtime, right? Time to set the chains of lust in action...

So she gave Jadeite a kiss, a nice and friendly one, only the tiniest bit too long.

"See?" she said. "You didn't drop dead. So next time, don't make such a fuss about it, okay?"

Jadeite sulked. "So I am only allowed to make a fuss after I drop dead?"

"Exactly. You got it. Now, demon lord, I need to go home. Will you promise me to handle this hive youma thing with extreme care and caution?"

"Yeah. I am not exactly keen on seeing something like today again. Do you want me to bring you?"

"No, thanks, I'll take the bus, and walk the rest. I need some time to think. These kids scare me."

"Me too. I'll bring you to the ground floor, my youmas are a bit upset about a Senshi being down here."

They parted at the top of the stairs.

"Thanks for bringing my books."

"Don't mention it. I'm so sorry your diary got stolen at our shrine."

"You couldn't have prevented it. You were still at school. I should have paid more attention to my stuff."

"Take care, okay? Remember you promised to take it slow with the kid who stole the diary."

"I'll be okay. See you next Tuesday?"

"Sure. I'll be home a bit earlier, our study group has changed times. Bring your textbooks, we can do homework together."

Jadeite nodded, took the phone that Rei offered him, and Rei slipped through the door, closing the fire proof metal door behind her. It bothered her to leave Jadeite down there, closed off from daylight, in between youmas, filling volume after volume of his diaries to keep up with the world above.

She sighed. She'd take care of that. Eventually. But for today, she had it up to here with any Guardian, whoever it may be. Including Mars.


	9. Sunday night

In hindsight, Rei would say that it was the night before her last test when she got the first foreboding that things were about to go terribly wrong.

Rei didn't know what had woken her up. She had this feeling that something was in her room. Enemy, said the feeling. Rei shot up and lit up the light on her nightstand.

"Who's there?" she shouted.

Someone stood there across the room, lifting up a white gloved hand to protect his eyes against the sudden light. She had to blink a few times to make out the picture clearly, but she already knew who it was from the golden shimmer on his aura, his shoulder piece and his hair.

"Jadeite!" she hissed. "It's in the middle of the night, and I have a test tomorrow! What are you doing here?"

Jadeite didn't give an explanation. And, considering that this was her bedroom and he was creeping up on her in her sleep, she didn't actually want to hear one, if she thought about it.

"Can you turn down the light?" he asked.

Rei sighed and threw a t-shirt over the lamp. She could hear the pain in his voice, and she really didn't like the sound of it.

"Migranes again?" she asked.

"Yeah..."

He took his hand down when the light was dim enough, and he looked worse than she had expected. She hadn't ever seen Jadeite cry, but this was the face that came the closest to it.

"What's wrong, Jadeite?"

He stepped closer, one little step.

"Can I stay, Mars? Just a few hours?"

Rei was too tired to argue. Now that she had seen there was no real enemy in her room, her body wanted nothing but to get back to sleep.

"What? In my bedroom, in the middle of the night?" she brought up, just because she had to.

"Please, Mars, let me just sit here, I just need a break, that's all."

If Rei had been fully awake, she would have flinched at that innocent little sentence. 'That's all' had been trouble before. But she was tired, and somehow, she couldn't believe Jadeite was subtle enough fake his condition, and in this condition, he wasn't going to do anything.

"Okay, Jadeite, but please be quiet, and let me sleep, alright?"

"Thanks, Mars."

"Do you need something? A cooling pack for your head?"

"Won't help much,'s magic induced" he mumbled and with a slow, careful moment he got down on his knees and grabbed his head. On his knees, head down, fighting the pain, she had hoped she wouldn't see him like that ever again.

Rei sighed.

"What happened?" she asked.

"They try to bring back more of my memory," said Jadeite, almost sobbing. "But I don't want it! I can do without!"

He paused, slightly rocking himself back and forth, his palms holding his temples. "Zoisite says it's for remembering more spells, but I know what he wants. He wants to drive me closer to the Master again. And he wants the old Jadeite back. But I am not that kind of person any more. You don't live through the Dark Kingdom and come out all sweet and cuddly."

His breath became ragged, but pain wouldn't be enough to stop Jadeite from talking if he needed to.

"They all treat the Dark Kingdom like a disease, something they want to cure me of. They act as if we had hallucinated it. But it has been my life. It was real.

Why can't they just leave me the hell alone with it?"

"Shh, Jadeite, please calm down," whispered Rei. "You know, Jadeite, there are such things as painkillers. There must be something that works even on Guardians. You could at least try."

"No. I need these."

"Headaches? What for?"

"They remind me. Of what's important. And..."

"Yes?"

"They mark the limits I can not allow others to push me over!" he hissed.

What, these exist? thought Rei sarcastically.

She sighed.

"How come that the weirdest things you say always make the most sense?"

She tried to sound reassuring and firm. But actually, she was scared. So the moment Jadeite was upset, he would fall back into his old Dark Kingdom habits? Find someone to drop to his knees in front of, and blank out on pain?

Could someone develop a drug habit on agony?

_...Mars, you must think I am a cruel man... The Master wants Jadeite to open up some more..._

Was Zoisite totally nuts to bring him to that state? Hadn't he promised never to use force on Jadeite again?

..._We are desperate... he Dark Kingdom still holds his soul..._

She would have to talk to him, but first, she had to take care of the boy.

She could theoretically let him where he had dropped down, but she knew what he really needed was her bringing the guest futon so he could lie down, and probably the ice pack from the fridge in the kitchen. But the thought of having to get up was like physical pain for Rei. Also, she'd most probably wake someone in the house if she started to refurniture her room in the middle of the night, and she'd rather not draw attention to Jadeite being in her room the night before the big test. Yes, the test. She'd probably wouldn't sleep for hours if she got up and wandered around now, and without sleep she'd blow the test. The last test before the exams, with no chance of making good if she blew it.

But she couldn't just let Jadeite be like this.

He was not going to spend the night on his knees before her.

Oh, what the hell, she thought.

She heaved herself out of bed and took Jadeite's hand.

"Jadeite, I really really need to sleep now, so let's not make this complicated. Come here."

He obeyed without thinking, getting up, clenching his teeth at the jolts of pain that shot through his head with every step. He let Rei take off his gloves, his jacket and his boots without resistance and laid down on her bed when she told him to. He only stirred when she slipped next to him, put her blanket around them and tried to get comfortable in a bed that was too small for both of them.

"Mars...?"

"That okay for your head?"

"Yes, but I can't..."

"Sh, Jadeite, calm down. Relax. Trust me. I'm not going to hurt you."

"This is not what I was up to, I swear..."

"Shut up, Jadeite. You are totally getting the wrong ideas. I just want you to get a rest without waking the whole house. I told you, I really need to sleep, and you need to lie down and get some rest. Don't do anything stupid. Good night."

It turned out the only comfortable position was with her arm around him, and he didn't complain, so hopefully it wasn't making his head worse. His heart-beat felt wrong, his breath felt wrong, his aura felt wrong, his whole un-humanness felt wrong, but overall, holding him felt just right, and quite soothing. She would inevitably take over some of his energy by touching him, but hopefully too slowly to harm him. If she was lucky, it would make up for the sleep she lost.

Rei's last thought before she slept in was: If I can do this and sleep right away, I really can't be into boys.

xxx

It was horribly early when Jadeite woke her up by trying to sit and regretting it with a curse.

"Jadeite, what's the matter?" grumbled Rei. This must be my least favourite way to wake up, she tought. Finding a guy in her bed who scared her out of her sleep.

"I must leave, Mars. I need to be home when Kunzite gets back from patrol and gives his report."

"When will that be? Before six?"

"No..."

"Look, I have my alarm-clock set on six, and you aren't in any shape to teleport around anyway. Try to get some sleep, please. Or some rest, at least. How's the head?"

"Bit better."

But the hunched way he sat there and the death grip he had on his head told Rei something else.

"Shut up, Jadeite. Get back to bed, we both need the rest."

He laid back with a heavy sigh, and Rei put her arm around him again.

"See what I mean? Or is it so bad here?"

"No..."

"But?" He wouldn't dare to voice any buts, would he?

"Just wondering what exactly I'm doing here..."

Better tell him exactly what he's doing here, thought Rei.

"Listen... everyone gives me that crap about how I don't really like you, how I only need some idiot who likes to make himself useful around me. So, you being here, keeping me awake the day before my test, is me doing something for you, so I don't feel like I just take advantage of you all the time. That's important for me."

"Hm, I didn't know you were seeing it like this..." He smirked. "You know, if you want to make even, I could come up with a couple of suggestions, you just have to ask. "

"Oh, I hope this is not what it sounds like!" protested Rei, who knew that teasing tone too well. "Forget it!"

"Just wanted to mention it in case your conscience can't take it any longer", grinned Jadeite.

"Don't worry," grumbled Rei. "I'm currently beearing it very well. But If I need you to end my suffering, you'll be certain to notice it."

Jadeite grinned some more, but then he sighed. "Seriously, Rei, you don't have to pay me back for things I do for you. I don't do them because I want a reward. I just like to do something. Anyway, you don't owe me, think of what you have done for me when I was wounded."

"That's nothing you need to worry about. Kunzite is the one who owes me for that one."

"You did it for Kunzite?" Jadeite didn't understand, and that hint of jealousy in his voice made Rei angry.

"Idiot! Of course not! I made a deal with him: He wants me to look after you, he owes me. Simple."

"He agreed to that?"

"He had no choice."

"So that's why you... go out with him?"

"No. That's just... because."

"Because you fall for his attractive appearance like everyone else."

Rei chuckled. "I don't think so. Remember, I knew all his mean and evil sides long before I realized he's not that ugly. The very first thing I remember of him is throwing my fire ball back at me, and that's a painful first impression I'll never forget."

Jadeite sneered. "I told you, it's a great counter-attack. But... please be careful around Kunzite. Did you have a fight with him lately?"

"No, why?"

"Just wondering. He's been so weird lately."

"Listen, Jadeite, why should I discuss that with you?"

"Because you're are taking this into a direction that is not going to work out for either of you."

"I am taking this nowhere. And you don't need to tell me how my dates work out."

A smirk twitched around the corner of Jadeite's mouth. "You mean I should rather tell your friends?"

"Jadeite!" It was one of these near-heart-attack moments again that seemed to come with Shitennou.

"I bet they'd die for some details. Did you tell them about Kunzite at all?"

"Jadeite! I'm warning you! Not one word!"

He frowned. "Why not? Is he not good enough to be seen with? Are you ashamed of him? Then why bother with him?"

"You don't understand. I'm not ashamed of Kunzite. It's just not everyone's business to nose around in my private life. I just want some... time by ourselves. The get to know him stuff."

"Liar."

"What? How can you say that?"

"If you wanted to get to know him, you'd ask me questions. I've known him for thousands of years, you bet I could tell you a thing or two about him. You're not interested in what he's really like. You just see what he wants you to see. But don't get it wrong: He'll never really like you."

When this didn't get the reaction he wanted, he added angrily: "Kunzite only likes Zoisite. Everyone else is just entertainment."

"So what? Think I'm looking for anything else in him?"

This surprised him.

"Look, Jadeite, I spend time with him, time that is entirely unrelated to my life. He's pretty good company, we just want to have some fun. Don't get involved."

She could tell from the twitch in his face that he didn't like to hear that.

"Mars, Kunzite is not at home in this world, and you don't know the first thing about men. Go play with him if you think it's a good idea, but be very careful. Kunzite is not a plaything for beginners."

Rei wanted to give him a sharp reply, but then she decided not to let herself be provoked by Jadeite. Yes, she and Kunzite were both guesing their way along. They had to make the best out of the situation, and up until recently it had been going very well. And that was hard enough as she always had to face how insanely powerful he was, and how pitiful she had to be to him. But she wasn't going to let Jadeite have a say in this matters.

"Are you jealous, Jadeite?" she asked. She knew some great counter-attacks herself.

"What, because I don't want to see this thing crash? If I was really jealous, I'd make it crash. I could do that. It would be easy."

"What?" said Rei and laughed unbelieving. "You'll sleep on the floor if you don't stop being such a bitch!"

It was some minutes later when a thought crossed her mind.

If it was easy for Jadeite to blow it for her and Kunzite, how easy would it be then for Zoisite who was a hundred tims sneakier? Just mess up Jadeite and let her take care of him. And leave Kunzite wondering what was going on.

But Rei just got more determined by that thought. A friend and a date, she surely wasn't demandind a lot, and she sure wasn't giving up either of it. If there was anything Zoisite wanted to tell her, the yasmin tea was waiting. And now she sure as hell would try her best to make Minako hunt down Zoisite.

Let's see if this game doesn't work the other way round as well, she thought with a smile, and then she actually slept in for another half hour until her alarm-clock cruelly woke her up and Jadeite teleported home, not even staying for a cup of coffee.

Not that Rei would have been keen to have him at the kitchen and let the priest's amiable wife smile knowingly at them. But being suddenly thrown into her test panic on her own wasn't the coolest thing either.

Oh well. If she took a boy into her bed the night before the test, she probably just shouldn't complain.


	10. Tuesday afternoon

**I love this chapter! I had so much fun writing this! Of course I would have to bring Minako in at a certain point. And while I technically love fluff, the sheer amount of Rei/Minako fluff that exists on this board is just too much. You can only eat so much sugar cotton before you puke ;D So this was my personal anti fluff scene to balance things a bit. Hope you like it.**

**xxx**

Rei smiled as Erika bent her head over Jadeite's notebook. He was frowning from concentrating real hard as he scribbled another sentence in Japanese onto a page and then effortless filled the page with quick, swift paragraphs in the letters of the Ancient Earth Kingdom, to explain what the kanji and hiragana meant, and probably rant a bit about the modern Japanese writing system.

As always, Erika checked if she could help him. She was in third grade, and delighted whenever she could explain something to him. Jadeite was extremely touchy about the subject of him, a well-educated Shitennou, suddenly finding himself an analphabet because the writing system he had been taught had come out of fashion after a mere several ten thousands of years. It had taken Rei a while to talk him into accepting help, and so far, progress was slow.

Jadeite wasn't stupid, or in Rei's opinion at least not as stupid as he looked. But he was impatient, short-tempered, and had a tendency to quick flashs of headaches as well as horrible migraines when he tried to memorize something, resulting in the worst long term memory Rei had ever seen.

She was quite certain that he was doing one of these kanji symbols for the third time in two months now, if she would make him flip back in his notebook, he'd certainly find pages about it, and be surprised.

Rei often had to remind herself to be patient. In the Dark Kingdom, Jadeite had lived under a spell that had suppressed his memories, and this was obviously still affecting him. Sometimes his brain would just shut down.

Even Erika had already learned that the drugged, blank-eyed look on Jadeite's face wasn't a good sign, and she would flip to teacher mode when she saw it. Like just now, when Jadeite's pencil had ceased to move and he had started to stare through the page.

"Jadeite! Are you paying attention?"

"Huh?"

"Show me what you have written!"

It was astonishing that he had let Erika into his secret. But she spent a lot of time at the shrine, had a crush on Jadeite that made her infinitely more patient than Rei, and accepted his explanation that he had forgotten lots of things after a bad accident.

"Why do you write in your secret writing again, Jadeite?"

Jadeite smiled at her. "So noone can read it."

"Wouldn't it have been easier to forget the secret writing and remember the real letters?"

Rei smiled. "He didn't get to choose, Erika. He's lucky he remembers anything at all."

"Yeah, lucky me," grumbled Jadeite.

"You should be grateful that you live," said Rei. Her strict teacher mode was also very good. "And for all the people who help you."

"Hai."

All the doors of the house were open to let in some breeze in the heat. So Minako could get a glimpse at Rei long before Rei noticed her. She smiled, it was supposed to be a surprise that she came, and so she sneaked closer. Until she got a view at the rest of the room, which stopped her dead in her tracks.

Minako couldn't believe her eyes. What was Jadeite doing here? In civilian clothes, working clothes for helps at the shrine, his blond hair mocking the traditional attire. But he wasn't doing work, he sat with Rei and a little girl at a table, each of them writing down things, they looked like they were doing homework together.

No. They looked like they were playing family together. Minako had never been disgusted by anything Rei had done (not even the really bad tampon jokes she made), but this was filling her with sickness and repulsion.

So what had all the talk about their carreers taking too much time to be together been about? All the talk about how Rei would rather die than end up someone's wife and build up useless illusions about happy families?

Had it all been a lie? What was Rei thinking she was doing?

She sure as hell wanted answers. She straightened herself, and entered the room.

She wanted to say something dramatic, but the little girl squealed at an incredibly high pitch when she saw her.

"No way! Aino Minako!"

Jadeite's face went expressionless, and he quickly closed his books and the notebook and shoved them into a bag. He was on his feet and about to leave, when Minako hissed at Rei.

"What is Jadeite doing here? Didn't you say you're done with him?"

Jadeite stopped and gave Venus an angry look.

"I could say the same thing about you!" he snapped.

Rei had almost forgotten how nasty Jadeite could get. And she had never seen Minako ignore a fan like this before. This was not good...

Rei just had time to send Erika home, promising her an autograph of Minako, before the real trouble started.

"Get lost, Jadey! It's girls day now, and I'm sorry, just wearing a pink uniform doesn't qualify."

"Don't give me orders, miniskirt! This is a private party and I don't remember you've been invited!"

"I don't need an invitation! Rei always has time for her friends."

"Yeah, that must be the reason why she is going out with me tonight!"

"At the first evening she can see me after months? I don't think so."

"Oh, impressive. You have been in town for over a week and only just now had the time to come and see your 'friend'. She must really be special to you."

"Unlike you, I have a lot of work that I can't just shove aside."

Jadeite sneered. "Yeah, what's a Guardian's job, if you compare it to hopping around on stage in tasteless outfits?"

"Whaaat?"

"Minako, Jadeite, stop it!" Rei finally managed to get their attention. "Both of you, calm down. There is no reason for this kind of behaviour."

"Oh, I think there is!" shouted Minako. "You let me run into that lovely happy couple scene without a warning! Not only didn't you tell me, but you didn't tell me it's him! Your friendly neighborhood slit-throat with a hair problem!"

"We're not a couple!" hissed Rei. "He is not my boyfriend. We're just doing homework together!"

"Come on, Rei, I know exactly what's going on here! It's just so plain obvious! Oh, I bet he is always nice and caring, I bet he does everything you want, let me guess, you went to bed with him and it didn't turn out to be very exciting, but hey, who cares for romance and feelings and hot sex? As long as you have gotten yourself an idiot who looks acceptable next to a priestess!"

"I told you, Minako, he is not my boyfriend!"

"Of course not. For someone like that, the word is husband, isn't it?"

"Minako, are you nuts?"

"You pull this longtime married couple thing, fine. I shouldn't be surprised at all! In the past, you have been after him since he was merely 12 and you should have been ashamed of yourself. But please, it's your life! Be happy with this creep who would leave you in an instant for the next evil Queen demanding his services.

Only don't tell me any more lies! Don't pretend you don't want a man, don't pretend you don't want a family, and lots of cute little blond children, and don't you ever tell me again you aren't ready for a relationship and emotional bonding!"

Rei couldn't help that tears of rage and sadness filled her eyes. "You, out of all people in the world, have no right to accuse me of letting carreer destroy love! Where have you been all these years? The next recording, the next concert, the next commercial was always more important than me."

"And whose idea was it? Did I ever tell you to get out of the way of my carreer? I bet crazy little Jadey will never have to hear from you that he is a danger to your reputation as a priestess.

I know you would do almost everything for the illusion to be a small scale Guardian again. Becoming a priestess might even do the trick. But I never would have thought you'd even let yourself get laid by this batch of slime for it. And? Does it make you feel important now that you have touched someone with real powers?"

Rei didn't have an answer to that. Her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, congratulations, 'friend'," sneered Jadeite. "Humiliate her in front of others and make her cry, now why didn't I think of that?"

"Shut up, Jadeite!" yelled Minako. "Just because Rei has taken pity on you doesn't give you the right to mess her up. Go and screw the likes of you. Leave my Senshi alone!"

Jadeite gave her his worst smirk. "Make me."

To Rei's horror, Minako lost it. She actually slapped Jadeite across his face, and he didn't even flinch. He just broadened his smirk.

"It'll take a bit more than that to impress me, silly little girl. Why don't you try to shoot me now that you know I'm not going to fight back? Didn't that work awesome on Zoisite?"

Rei saw Minako's face harden, and that was the point where Rei had to throw herself between them, grab Minako's arms and shove her back several steps.

"Minako, get a grip! Calm down! Jadeite - shut up! Behave or you are out of here! Both of you!"

Minako let herself be held back by Rei, but her rage wasn't cooling down. She eyed past Rei and yelled at Jadeite.

"I swear, if you ever hurt Rei, if you even think of it, I will chain you to the bottom of the sea!"

"What?"

To Rei's surprise, that had actually scared Jadeite for a second. But he instantly got a grip of himself again.

"If you are so close to Mars, Venus, how come you don't know which one of the Shitennou she's dating? Or is it too difficult to count to four if you can't use your fingers?"

That silenced Minako for a moment. With an unbelieving frown, she turned to Rei and asked, not nearly as loud as Rei had expected: "Zoisite... is going out with you?"

"Not Zoisite," said Rei, but Minako just stared at her, not making the obvious conclusion. Jadeite smirked and held up four fingers, slowing putting down one after the other, until only one remained.

And Minako still didn't get it.

"Minako, it's Kunzite I see."

"Kunzite!" exploded Minako. "But you hate Kunzite!"

"So what?" returned Rei sharply who didn't think she had to listen to Minako talking like this. "That should make for interesting dates, shouldn't it?"

It annoyed her even more that Jadeite looked just as confused as Minako about this. She let go of Minako who seemed to have sobered a bit.

"You know what, both of you? It is none of your business! I can go out with whoever I want. I don't want to hear a word about it from any of you. And now you will both leave. I've got enuogh of your behaviour. You heard me, get lost!"

"What did I do? I just stood here and got insulted!" sulked Jadeite. "And she hit me!"

"Out! Both of you! I want to be on my own!"

"I'll pick you up at seven," said Jadeite, transforming into his Shitennou uniform and gripping the cloak for the teleport movement.

Rei just nodded, and he dissolved into ripples of light and air.

When Rei turned around to shoo out Minako as well, she was relieved to see that Japan's super star was already gone.

Rei took a deep breath.

First Thetys, then Kunzite, now Minako... she always had to defend being friends with Jadeite. Not to mention the priest and his wife, who really liked Jadeite, but had given her the speech about being _responsible_ as well.

She was just teaching him how to read and write, and everyone acted as if she had a habit of throwing him over the table and jumping him. It was totally ridiculous.

But noone is telling me who to be friends with, Rei thought. I won't give up my Jadeite day for anyone, be it Shitennou, youma or senshi. The nerve they have!

xxx

"Hello... you're Erika, right? I am really sorry I didn't have time for you before. What are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting for my granny to pick me up, Aino-san."

"Please, call me Minako."

"Minako... why did you say that Jadeite wears a pink uniform? He says he doesn't have to wear a police uniform any more at all. "

Minako was surprised. Had Jadeite told her he was a police man? Maybe it made sense if he wanted to explain what a Guardian was without revealing too much... but seriously, didn't he look way to young for a police man?

She smiled at Erika.

"So he told you?"

"Yes. He said he is glad he is doing special assignments now instead of patrol duty. Too much paperwork in a police station. Why were you so mad at him? Did he arrest you once?"

Minako laughed. "No, he didn't. And his uniform isn't really pink. Only when I saw him the first time, it looked like it was purple. That's why we were joking about it. I am sorry you had to hear us fight. I'm not like that usually. Only when I see him with Rei... I don't like it. She's my friend and I'm worried about her. He's not good for her."

"Because he had this accident?"

"What do you mean?"

"When my mom died, some kids didn't talk to me any more. Like I was infectuous. But Jadeite explained it to me. He said, in the world, bad things happen to good people. It happens everywhere. It doesn't mean they're bad people. It doesn't mean anything. It just happens."

Minako sighed.

"I know what you mean. I had the same thing happening to me when I was sick, some years ago. That's not the reason I don't like him. But... I have known Jadeite earlier. He was a nice guy. You know, before this... accident happened, he and Rei were in love."

"Really?"

Minako smiled. "_Oh, yes_. And now Jadeite doesn't remember anything of it, and Rei acts as if there has been nothing. I think she shouldn't be with Jadeite like this, it will only hurt her."

"But they look so happy!"

"Really?"

"Yes, he always makes her smile. When she is done yelling at him. But he really cares about her. He does so many things for her.

Rei loves it best when everything is quiet at the shrine, and it's always quiet when Jadeite is here. He always does all the chores, and then he feeds the birds before she comes home, so they don't make noise at everything, and Rei thinks nothing happens."

Erika grinned.

Minako couldn't believe it.

"Rei loves it quiet?" she asked astonished. She had always seen it as her priority that Rei got more interesting things to do than the old boring routines of the shrine she had been dumped at. Yes, she knew Rei was very devoted to her work at the shrine, but that she loved it more than having fun was news to Minako.

But Erika had even more secrets to share.

"And then he talked to her classmates so she is now in a better study group."

"But she hates it when someone meddles with her life!"

"Totally." Erika giggled. "She yells a lot at him for it. He always asks her if she feels well-prepared for her exams now, and says if she doesn't, he'll have a word with her study group. And then she yells some more. She says the worst thing is that this study group really makes her feel better prepared for her exams."

"Whoah, I can't believe he interfered with a girls' school."

"He's done it before. When someone shoved Rei down at school, he made the whole class apologize to her, including the teacher."

"What? And she let him?"

Erika giggled again. "No. She yelled at him. But he did it anyway."

Minako grinned at her, but actually, she was irritated. She had never interfered with Rei's daily life, neither at the shrine, nor at school. Rei had made it very clear that she wouldn't forgive anyone who tried to do that. And now Jadeite did it, and while she wasn't happy about it, she seemed to appreciate it none the less. She smiled at him. Erika said she was happy.

Minako was certain that a creep like Jadeite would never outclass her. She and Rei had spent the most exciting awesome times together. So why was she jealous about a stupid boy who just liked to be bossed around and make himself useful?

"Minako... can I ask you something? I can't ask Jadeite... but... the bad things that happened to him... was it really an accident? Rei always looks at him in a funny way when he mentions it, and... do police officers have accidents at all?"

"They do. But you are right, it wasn't an accident. Jadeite... if you have innocent people that are attacked by bad guys, and you need someone to step forward to keep them safe, or buy them some time... Jadeite doesn't care if he's outnumbered, or going to loose. If he has someone to protect, he will go out and fight. And that was what happened when..."

...when the Shitennou were facing Metallia's overwhelming powers, and Endymion left them for the Princess, and Jadeite was killed, taken away, filled with evil, and what we got back didn't have much in common any more with the boy he'd been... and he knew it'd happen and still faced them without wavering...

Minako looked away. "I shouldn't tell you such scary things. I'm sorry. Just keep in mind that the past is gone, and that the life we have now is what counts."

"Jadeite says that, too."

Minako smiled. "Here, I heard you like my music, please take this album, and I'm sorry if I scared you."

"Thank you, Minako, and you don't have to apologize. I understand now that you really care for Rei and Jadeite."

Minako thought she'd better leave it at that, and waved Erika good bye when her grandmother took her home.

xxx

"That must be the first time I heard you say something positive about him," said Rei from behind Minako's back.

"I could hardly flame him in front of his fanclub," said Minako.

Rei chuckled. "We're not his fanclub. His fanclub runs an internet site where they exchange their fantasies about him."

"What? You must be kidding me."

"No, it's true. A bunch of self-proclaimed demon hunters who think Jadeite is something like a super demon. Some teenagers who stalk him and get all excited about ideas of chaining him up and torturing him."

Minako grinned. "Can I become a member?"

"No. Torturing Jadeite is an exclusive and hard-won privilege of mine and I am not going to share it."

"Oh, please, please, Rei-chan, just a little bit?"

Suddenly, Rei didn't feel like joking any more.

"Minako!" she said angrily, "Don't you think he's had enough?"

Minako laughed. "Jadeite? Who begs to be everyone's doormat?"

"Don't talk about him like that! Jadeite is a good guy. I don't know much about men, but even I know that good guys don't come by the truck load."

"I can't belive we are having this same conversation again," said Minako with a slight smile. "In the past life, I tried to argue with you, and it was always in vain. Jadeite is too young - but he is a good guy. He is too powerful and dangerous, even his own people fear him - but he is a good guy. The Shitennou are furious and only one step away from declaring open war on us if you don't leave their little creep master alone - but he is such a good boy.

As if that made anything alright."

"But you must admit he is a good guy."

"He used to be nice, but I don't know him any more. He has changed so much. You don't remember him at all from the former life?"

"No. I could, if I wanted to. I asked Zoisite if he could help me. I am not certain if I want to. It's not the Jadeite of the former life I like. It's this one."

Minako shuddered demonsatratively. "Eww... That is hard to believe. He's become so gloomy... He was so full of life, always laughing, always jumping around, even as a teenage boy. You used to be the craziest couple I've ever seen. You were burning for each other, not knowing anything else, stepping over every rule or law to see each other. You could sit in opposite ends of a room and do things to each other with your eyes that made me blush. Stepping between you was like running into a strong force field.

And now Jadeite and you don't remember. I hate seeing you with him like this, Rei. It isn't right that you are together without love. It's like you were ghosts."

"So that's why you act so unbearably bitchy? Because you don't catch me with him in red hot love sessions?" Rei grinned. "If I only had known... why didn't you say?"

"Oh, don't you dare!" laughed Minako. "So you're not...?"

"No, we're not. How often do I need to tell you, we are just friends. Jadeite will never be my boyfriend. First thing, he isn't free. Second, I am almost certain he's into boys."

"Third, he's Jadeite," added Minako.

Rei shot her an angry glance.

"You really like him," said Minako unbelieving and shook her head.

"Yes. So?"

"Spend quite a lot of time with him."

"No. One day per week is not a lot of time. We are both very busy. That's why each Tuesday is important."

"But certainly you can skip one when I have taken a day off extra for you after we haven't seen each other for months."

"Minako, we can see each other now. But at seven o'clock, I am going with Jadeite."

Minako didn't understand. She was hurt, and didn't hide it.

"And you wouldn't even ask me to join you."

"Another time. Currently, we like some time on our own."

"What for?"

"Minako, stop questioning me like that. Sometimes, I can't tell you things. We aren't siamese twins after all."

"Excuse me, you dump me and spend our date with someone else and I won't even get to hear why?"

"We didn't have a date, Minako. You actually crashed the date I already had."

"So it is a date, with Jadeite?"

"Not really."

"You're sleeping with him."

"No! I told you, he likes boys!"

"He's tried to hit on you before. He can't be that gay that he wouldn't want a Senshi. That'd be quite a trophy to brag about with his friends. You are sleeping with him, that's why you won't tell me about it!"

"Minako, I won't listen to you if all I hear is jealousy and insults. I have friends, and some of them are men. I''m sorry if that is a problem for you, but I don't need your approval for my choice of friends. Minako, this is my life."

"Your life with Jadeite. Why him? Please, Rei-chan, give me one reason. One reason I can understand."

Rei hesitated for a while, but then she said: "You wouldn't want to hear it."

"I need to hear it."

"I shouldn't tell you... but... When things between you and me got very intense, I panicked, and I kicked you out in a mean way. When things between Jadeite and me got somewhere near starting, I panicked, and kicked him out in the meanest, drastical way possible. The difference is, Jadeite came back."

"I respected your decision."

Rei sneered.

"Yes, and it was quite offending. You had never respected my decisions before."

"Sorry. So it was a test?"

"No, it just happened. But... Jadeite... He didn't act like he was glad to have some space in his time planner. If you had wanted to see me, all it had taken you was to make up your mind. When Jadeite needs time off to see me, he has to face Kunzite, who is also interested in me. Can you picture Jadeite wrestling a favor out of a jealous Kunzite? I can't. And still he's there every week."

Minako's gaze instantly turned icy at the mention of the leader of the Shitennou.

"And what is this Kunzite thing about? Are you sleeping with him, too?"

"Are you nuts? Of course not!"

"So he is just a friend as well?"

"No. We're dating."

"Although you still hate him."

"Sort of."

"_Why, damnit?_"

"I told you, he's interesting. We really need to know more about the Shitennou, Minako. We are on the same side now, after all, and they keep all the important informations from us. We shouldn't let them get away with everything just because they aren't offering us information."

Minako shook her head.

"I don't know what has gotten into you, Rei. Kunzite is dangerous, and Jadeite is disgusting. Don't give me that Senshi duty martyr thing. You simply aren't honest with me any more, Rei."

"Because I date a man?"

"Because I have to hear it from Jadeite!"

"Ha! And what about you and Zoisite?"

"Me and..._ what?_"

With satisfaction, Rei saw Minako blush.

"You and Zoisite, in the Dark Kingdom - and _you _never told me about it."

"It's not what you think..."

"I don't think anything, Minako. I just think you shouldn't be so touchy about me and Jadeite while you still let Zoisite suffer for you feeling guilty."

"What are you talking about? I'm not feeling guilty."

"Then why didn't you tell me? Minako, you shouldn't be so cruel to Zoisite, he's really nice if you give him a chance."

"I'm the cruel one? Excuse me, but Zoisite wasn't exactly an angel in the past!"

Rei grinned. "He sure looks like one, don't you think?"

"Mars Reiko, I can't believe how these guys can corrupt you! You almost sound human! What happened to you?"

Rei was relieved to hear Minako joking again.

"Minako, we didn't blame Ami for what she did in the Dark Kingdom, and we have to give the Shitennou the same benefit of doubt."

Minako sneered. "I have no doubts about them. Well, if you are so keen to volunteer for spying on them, I want a full report. On everything you know about them. Come on, tell me."

Rei sighed. "I will tell you. But not now. I will have to talk to them about it first."

"What? Whose side are you on?"

"We are all on the same side. But you can't just pop in here, yell at everyone, and demand to be told things that are personal."

"Yes, I can. I'm doing it right now."

"No, you're not. You're sitting with me in my room and drinking a cup of tea with me, because we're such good friends that you know when not to poke any further."

"Is that so?"

Rei grinned. "My mystic foretelling powers tell me that's exactly what's going to happen in the next ten minutes."

Minako sighed deeply, and then surprised Rei by taking her into an embrace.

"I'm sorry, Rei-chan," she said. "I didn't want to behave like this. Just be very careful around these guys, okay?"

"Okay," mumbled Rei and secretly slipped Zoisite's card into Minako's8 pocket before returning the embrace. "And you, too."


	11. Tuesday night

"No sexy lace bra?" asked Minako who sat cross-legged on Rei's bed and watched Rei's preparation for the evening like a hawk.

Rei grinned and put on her simple sports bra. "No."

"The most boring underwear in the whole dresser."

Rei just smiled. The most comfortable actually, for good reason.

She put on a light sweater, the winter training suit, woolen socks, hiking boots, and tied her hair back into a ponytail.

"Sports?" asked Minako.

"Think along that line..."

"Not in Tokyo then. You'll collapse if you go running in that outfit."

"I'm not going to tell you, Minako."

She packed her bag. Put in another warm sweater.

"Where does he drag you to? Siberia?"

Rei laughed. "I'm not going to tell you."

"Hey, why do you pack a first aid kit? If this is dangerous... if I find a single scratch on you tomorrow... if he lays hand on you, he's dead!"

"Calm down, Minako. I'll be okay. I've been doing this for a while, and I've never been better. Stop being such a mother hen."

"You must be out of your mind. He's creepy! He's crazy! How can you let him take you to who knows where? I don't trust him."

"But I do. He's a Guardian, come on. Being bitchy and protective like some other Guardian I could mention comes with the job. He couldn't harm me even if he wanted to. These guys are really okay now. Hand me that water bottle please."

Minako gave her the bottle and also gave her her strictest senshi leader gaze. "Sports. I really hope it's sports."

Rei grinned.

"Hope is a wonderful thing."

xxx

It was hard to leave Minako behind, even if Rei didn't let it show. She could have had hours of chatting and laughter, going out, having fun, maybe surprising one of the other girls... but once she was out of her room, and stood in the yard, she wasn't regretting it anymore. Having fun was nice. Having fights was better.

She passed the kitchen window. The priest and his wife would be eating alone tonight. Someone else to walk away from. Rei felt a bit guilty about it. She hardly saw them now that all she did was studying for the exams .

Rei knew very well that it wasn't just Jadeite's interest for Shintoism and his talent for seeing the supernatural that made Jadeite such a welcome guest at the shrine. It was also because Jadeite enjoyed to be fathered and mothered by the old priest, and especially his wife - opposite to Rei who really liked them but kept a big emotional distance to everyone who wanted to occupy the parent position.

Jadeite would love to have dinner with them, and joke around, and let the older couple whose kids were already out of the house fawn over him. How could he be so trusting? From what she had heard, his parents had been way worse than hers, even trying to kill him. How could he still have illusions? He was so naive. She sighed. She should probably ask Jadeite if they could have dinner at the shrine sometimes on Tuesdays. It would give her an excuse not to have dinner there on the other days, and still make her substitute grandparents happy.

She probably wouldn't be able to solve the Minako situation by having a dinner for three... she grinned.

She walked down the stairs to the street, and there he stood.

She didn't even look back to see if Minako was there when they went to the shopping district.

xxx

It was a good training. Rei took over enough energy for working on her aim with the energy beam, and when they sat down for a reload of energy and a pause, Jadeite explained the new training schedule for improving her shield spell to her in all details.

Then he was silent for a while, and they just sat there, his arm around her, energy prickling through Rei. But there was something on his mind, she could tell. Finally, he brought it up.

"Uh, Mars... about what Venus said... the husband thing... are you really thinking about that?" he asked, evading her gaze.

"What? Of course not! Are you nuts? Do I give the impression I do?"

"Err... no... only... she was right about everything else she said, you know. And she knows you better than I do..."

"Listen, Jadeite, I'm not even out of school yet. I have plans for the next 20 years that do not nearly involve any man or child. It's hard enough that I lost the senshi powers, I could never give up on the Shinto priestess as well, and I want to do it right. It's going to take all my time. Have I made myself entirely clear?"

"Yeah."

Rei couldn't really read his expression, so she grinned at him and asked: "And how about you? Do you...?"

Jadeite shook his head. "I guess this Shitennou business is pretty much exclusive. How is it supposed to go with my schedule? I'm on partial duty and stlil need to trade shifts with Nephrite to have one day per week off, and that's only if we don't have any real trouble. I don't want to spend all my life asking myself, should I be with the Shitennou right now or with someone else? I have no idea how Nephrite does it.

But I will have to talk to the Master about having kids. When the Master and the Princess are going to have children, I want some too."

"What? Too busy for marriage, but you think you'd have the time for kids?"

He grinned. "Well, I don't think I'll have the time to raise them, but with some luck I'll have the time to make them. I just want to have some, that's all."

That's all?

Rei just stared at him with her mouth open, and at first she couldn't say more than just "Ha!"

Then the rage kicked in. How did he always do it, bring her to the boiling point in no time at all? Of course, by being a male, and including almost everything she hated about men, and fathers who didn't care ranged very high on her list. She hadn't expected him to bring up absent fatherhood already at his young age, but well, Jadeite was resourceful.

She shook off his arm and glared at him furiously.

"And you think it will be so great for the kids to be raised by others, knowing they will always be your last priority?"

Jadeite shrugged. "Worked for me."

"That's just a cheap excuse! Do you have an idea what it takes to be responsible for someone who relies on you?"

"Just as I said. They'd better not rely on me. I won't be around a lot. But that's just the point, you know."

"No, I don't know. And I don't want to know. It's just disgusting."

"Oh yeah? Do you think I have no time for nothing because we are too many Guardians? We need to inrease our numbers. And have you ever thought about where the next generation of Guardians is going to come from? Who is going to guard the next Prince or Princess? If it's going to be one of mine, I want them to grow up together, like it used to be in the old days. It's never going to be like it was between the Master and me. But it would be nice to give the next generation a chance."

"Oh..." Why did this crap suddenly make sense? Rei was at a loss of words.

"So the... Shitennou business... is inheritable? Did you inherit it from your father?"

He looked at her and smirked. "No, Mars. I don't think so."

"What's so funny?"

"My father was the reason why someone would need Guardians. If I inherited anything from him, you'd not want to see it. I wear black in his honor, but that was mainly to piss off the King's Guardians who killed him.

None of us four inherited it from our fathers, but the magical talent does run in famlilies... the point is, we don't know how to assign more Guardians, and we desperately need them. So, I say, seeing what our kids can do is one of the very few options we still have left. We should definitely try it."

"But... producing kids just because you want to exploit their talents... isn't that cruel?"

"Don't know... I guess that's why I live... so who am I to complain?"

"Err... Jadeite... that's crap, you know."

"No, it's true. The only reason why they didn't drown the spawn of a demon enchanter at birth was because they had a use for my talents. And why was I reborn? Because I'm useful. Don't look at me like that. You're the same."

"What?"

"You were reborn because you're a Guardian. And you spend all your free time with chores and meditations and Shinto stuff. You're scared of what you could do with your talents if you were acting on your own."

"I'm not scared. I'm just being responsible."

"You're being useful."

"Whatever. Nothing wrong with that."

"Exactly."

Now Rei was really mad. It just took her a moment to come up with a reply.

"You're still wrong," she finally said. "There's more to life than duty. There's more to life than work. If you don't know that, you shouldn't even be thinking about having kids."

Jadeite smiled at her apologetically. "Hey, you know I like kids."

"That's not enough. If you can't be there when they need you, they'll hate you."

Jadeite shrugged. "They can hate me all they want. I'll probably not even live to see it. Being a Guardian is a risky job."

"Jadeite!"

"What? It's true."

"Don't talk like that!"

"Don't be so sentimental, Mars. You didn't even make it alive through your first year as a Guardian in the modern times, and you weren't doing so hot in the past either. There's no such thing as an old Guardian."

"I said don't talk like that!"

Jadeite sneered, but he dropped the subject.

Now why on earth did he think this was a good moment to smirk at her?

"You know, about that other thing that Venus said..."

"What other thing?"

"That I'm boring in bed... That you'd take me to bed and nothing really exciting would happen? It just bothers me, you know. I do have my pride. I've never left anyone bored before."

"Oh, big words," said Rei with a grin. "From a man who has lost most of his memories. What do you know what you've done or not? But you can relax, love machine. The first time I found you in my bed in the morning, it was after one of the most exciting nights of my life."

"Really? Only one of the most exciting ones? How exciting exactly?"

"Woah, minus points for even asking about it! Shut up, Jadeite, there's just so many things you don't need to know."

"And what about the second time? I'll have to make up for that one. I bet that wasn't exciting for you."

"At least not in a good way. But you really don't have to listen to Venus."

"I wouldn't do it for Venus. Think I don't want it?"

He gave her a look from the corner of his eyes, and a smirk.

Rei gave him a piercing stare.

"I rather think you're not up to it, boy."

"Hey! Don't underestimate me! I know what a woman wants. I can do that!"

"You think you know what a woman wants?"

"Absolutely."

But if Rei was any judge, Jadeite was into boys. The only woman he'd ever loved wouldn't have allowed him to touch her, right? Right?

"Come on, Jadeite, I am supposed to believe that? Have you ever had a girl in bed?"

He grinned. "You are asking the wrong kind of questions, Mars. Sorry, can't tell you."

"Oh, shut up, Jadeite! I don't want to hear about it anyway. Just shut up about it, will you?"

"Peace?"

"Peace."

"Oh nooo... now we have to kiss again," said Jadeite.

"Is that so?"

"Pledge of good will. Sorry, Mars, but I think we don't have a choice..."

Rei put a finger on his lips. "Shh, Jadeite. Of course we have. We always have."

She refused the kiss, but sat close to him again and put an arm around his waist.

She sighed while she took in some more energy.

"Jadeite... Venus wants to know what we are doing... I know I should have told her before, but you have seen how she can be... have you told your people yet?"

"Not really. I guess Kunzite is also dying to know what we are doing."

"He is," said Kunzite.

xxx

Rei and Jadeite lept to their feet.

Kunzite came closer, his cloak sweeping behind him.

"What's the meaning of this gathering?"

Startled, Rei pushed away from Jadeite. She regretted it instantly, because, was this any of Kunzite's business? Just because she had gone out with him a few times didn't give him the right to demand answers.

But Kunzite didn't even want an answer of her, he was on Jadeite in a second and smacked him so hard that Jadeite stumbled back a few steps and fell down. Kunzite slowly stepped closer, contempt on his face, when a pink energy beam earthed itself right in front of him.

"Not one step closer!" demanded Rei, already building up more energy in her outstretched hands. She wasn't certain that Kunzite would have to fear a direct hit from her, but like hell would she allow him to attack them while she had power.

And Kunzite stopped. He stared at her, at the pink Shitennou energy in her hands, and he was truely and deeply shocked.

"So it's true," he finally managed to say. "So you're able to break the barrier to Jadeite."

He made a step, and came so close to her that he almost touched her hands.

"Step back, Kunzite."

He ignored the command and took one of her wrists, bringing her hand in front of his face to examine it. Rei was so nervous she almost released the energy uncontrolled, but she held it. It became quite hard to hold two different batches of energy in each hand. She was a tiny bit relieved when Kunzite abesentmindedly reached out with his other hand and just absorbed the energy from each of her hands when they began to tremble. A tiny bit relieved, but mostly furious about him taking over control so easily.

Kunzite's eyes were still on her hand that he held in front of his face.

"How?" he wondered. "How is it possible?"

He let her hand sink and shot her an inquisitive gaze.

"So you finally discovered your undying love and soulmateship?" he asked sarcastically.

"No. We're just good friends."

"Then _what_ did you do to him to break him?"

Rei didn't like that tone at all. She lifted her chin and shot him a cool look.

"I didn't have to do anything, Kunzite. Someone had conveniently beaten all resistance out of him before handing him over to me."

He didn't like that either.

"So you took advantage of a dying boy?"

"Yes."

"Who was given into your care and protection?"

Fear burnt through Rei's stomach, because the anger that Kunzite could decide to release every second now scared her so much that she thought she'd faint if he might move, but at the same time she just couldn't give in to her fear. She deserved to be with Jadeite, she had earned that friendship the hard way, and she was not going to take any nonsense from Kunzite who was maybe just jealous.

"Listen, Kunzite, I gave him back to you in a way better condition than you could have dreamed of, and it was a hell of a job to bring him back. You forced the boy upon me against my will, don't you come now and complain if I wasn't gentle enough with him. If you want fair play and good intentions, throw him at the mercy of Usagi next time."

Something told her that things would get ugly now, but then Jadeite, who still hadn't moved from the place where he fell, spoke up.

"Don't listen to her. She is lying."

"Nani?"

"She just wants to get at you." He smirked. "And boy, does she know you."

He slowly got to his feet, keeping a healthy distance to Kunzite's anger.

He definitely had Kunzite's attention now. "So," said Kunzite slowly, "this is how you spend those evenings when you're telling us you're working on your spells and vanish to a place where Zoisite can't trace you? I repeat it, Jadeite, what's the meaning of this? How can she do that to you?"

"She can because I want her to," said Jadeite.

"Are. You. Insane?"

"I know what I'm doing."

"You know _nothing_," snarled Kunzite and stepped towards Jadeite, who retreated backwards so he'd stay out of Kunzite's reach. "She could kill you if she loses control over the strip. And you are not only powering her up, you are also teaching her spells! We are not giving away our secrets to outsiders! Have I taught you nothing? Aren't you supposed to stay away from girls!"

He was faster than Jadeite, and grabbed his collar.

"Let go!" hissed Jadeite and struggled against Kunzite's grip.

But Kunzite pulled him closer.

"And I thought we had agreed that you keep your hands to yourself while I am going out with Mars!"

"I do! We're just training spells!"

"That's not what it looks like! And that's not what it sounded like!"

"When did I ever lie to you?"

"So what? This would be the perfect time to start with it, you sneaky little devil!"

"I am not lying! This is just combat training! We're just friends. We never had an affair."

Kunzite let go of Jadeite's jacket.

"Prove it."

A little smile played around Jadeite's lips, and then he grabbed the side of Kunzite's collar, pulled himself up onto the tips of his toes, and kissed Kunzite. Shock shot through Rei, she sure didn't like the sight of this, although she couldn't say why.

"Would I have the nerve to do that while I was making out with someone else?" Jadeite asked.

Kunzite's lips, which had received that kiss willingly, curled. "I wouldn't want to guess about that, Jadeite. Prove it better."

Jadeite decided to try appealing to reason.

"Why would she settle for me when she can have you?"

Kunzite sneered. "That's because you're an idiot. Always trying to be useful. That's not affection, that's just corruption, and doesn't count. Prove it better. Much better."

Jadeite jerked his head angrily to the side. "I'm getting sick of this attitude of yours, Kunzite. You must be blind if you don't see what's the matter with Mars. I am not going to listen to this crap any more. You are right, let's settle this once and for all. How about this: I can make her show what she feels for you. I can make her show how much she wants you. I can make her do you right here and now."

"Nani?"

"What the hell...? You must be out of your mind!"

Rei angrily turned to walk away.

"Rei, wait - we need him."

Jadeite calling her Rei? She stopped.

"Rei - we need him so you can transform to Sailor Mars."

xxx

**Don't get used to this quick pace of uploads, from now on I'll have to do a lot of writing and editing, and will be a bit slower... enjoy the foreshading... I promise you'll think back of many lines and think "she didn't... she's not going to". I assure you, I am. ;D ;D**

**Please review! It really helps! At least review the Minako chapter, you know you want to! ;D**


	12. Tuesday night Part2

**Author's note: As my reviewers were wondering about the transformation system I use, I've added some explanations at the botton of the chapter (can't tell you already, it'd spoil the surprise ;D)**

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Jadeite turned to Kunzite.

"I need a favor."

"I don't do favors."

"It's not for me, it's for Mars."

"I don't do favors for her either."

Jadeite just went on as if he hadn't heard him.

"I want you to do a full power strip on me in favor of Mars."

"No!"

Jadeite sneered.

"You want us to do this on our own?" he asked ironically.

Kunzite wasn't taking being sneered at very well.

"What the hell are you talking about? Nothing remotely the like is going to happen."

"Kunzite, what do you think we are doing here? What do you think I prepare her for? She's not going to borrow small doses forever. We need to find out if she can transform on our powers."

Kunzite shook his head. "The transformation energy level of a Sailor Senshi is much higher than ours. Your energy would never be sufficient. You know these things just as well as I do. This discussion is pointless."

Jadeite ignored that as well.

"I know a way how to do it. I've done all the calculations and I am certain she can..."

"Even if she could, I would never permit it!" Kunzite interrupted him impatiently.

"Kunzite, we are going to do this, sooner or later. With or without you, but with you it would be safe."

"There is no way this could be safe."

"It's my risk, and I say it's safe enough. And I told you I have it up to here with you messing it up with Mars. Make up your mind, Kunzite. When she is transformed, she's yours."

"Nani?"

Rei wanted to see where this was heading, but she just couldn't stay silent any more.

"Jadeite, have you lost your mind? Do you think you can hand me over to who you want because you play games with Kunzite?"

Now she became the target of Jadeite's growing frustration.

"Who's the one who's playing games here? Why have you been going out with Kunzite all this time and never had the courage to kiss him?"

Rei didn't really feel like being attacked like this any more than Kunzite. "I told you, keep out of this!"

"Exactly what I told him!" agreed Kunzite angrily.

"No!" hissed Jadeite. "I have enough of looking at the two of you! It's a disgrace! I have enough of being the one who is used by you because each of you plays with the other. What's all the fuss about? You're a perfect match! But Rei Hino will never admit that to herself, because she hates it when someone has power, and she has none."

"I don't hate it..."

"Yeah, sure," sneered Jadeite. "Then why are you here?"

"That has got nothing to do with Kunzite!"

"Oh, yeah? Why do you climb mountains, fight your leader over it, ditch your best friend, and tolerate me around you, if it's not for getting powers again, and be it only for a short time? You need them because you're nothing without power, because you're afraid of who you are, because you can't look at Kunzite and not hate to be human."

"Jadeite..." said Rei warningly.

He just shot her an icy look.

"Then prove me wrong. Transform, look at Kunzite, kiss him and tell me again you don't have feelings for him. And then tell me if you can do the same in human form."

"Jadeite!"

Kunzite narrowed his eyes, cocked his head thoughtfully and watched his fellow guardian before he launched his counter-attack.

"What's in it for you, Jadeite? Why are you so eager to do this?"

Jadeite sneered again.

"I am just doing what everyone of you should do. Am I the only one who is thinking straight?"

Kunzite had told himself not to let Jadeite's sneer provoke him, but he just couldn't help it.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Jadeite raised his chin. "We need to increase our numbers. Look around, count, and think. Even when we are all in best condition and working without a pause day and night, we just can't cover our duties. It is ridiculous to do this with four people."

"It is not. We can hire enough mercenaries."

"That is exactly what I am talking about. We can't do this on our own. When we were installed for the first time, we knew probably half of the Earth's population by name. There was no place, no matter how remote, that didn't have a Shaman that would cooperate with us. We just had to take care of the demon overlords, and we know how well that went in the end.

But today is different! We need to be more Guardians. Four Guardians, excuse me. And what if it's suddenly only three left?"

"Nani? I thought this 'quitting the Shitennou' phase was over?" said Kunzite. "You will never quit, Jadeite, you can't. You know that."

"This is not about quitting. This is about dying. I have been thinking about it a lot. We aren't really immortal. What if I die tomorrow? What if you can't bring me back? Where will you look for a substitute? The Silver Millenium is over, Kunzite, in case you haven't noticed, there is no way you can just ask your distant cousin how the magical education of that son of his has been going. Your distant cousin is dead, along with everyone who could have taken my place."

"Noone is going to take your place!" grumbled Kunzite. "When are you going to realize that you are a chosen Guardian of Earth, only you and noone else. You will always be. There is no need to look for a substitute."

"No!" yelled Jadeite. "Everyone can die. I have died before. You have, too, and left me alone to it all. I'm not going to do the same to you guys. Do you think I will leave you all back with no protection at all? There is no reason why I should let my powers go to waste when I die. Mars is perfect. She already has a Guardian destiny, she knows the back story, she knows how to fight, she wants to fight, she probably can hold more powers than any of us, and you like her. You have to admit that she'd make a perfect Shitennou. She'd do the job probably a lot better than I do."

So it's true, thought Rei. He's training a successor.

She didn't know what to think of it. Yes, she had once promised Jadeite to rather take over his powers than let them die with him. But she didn't intend to take over his position as well. And all this talk about Jadeite planning for his death glazed her heart over with fear.

Seriously, she thought, Jadeite must be insane to admit it to Kunzite.

"I will hear none of this!" snarled Kunzite, and Jadeite flinched.

Still, he held his grounds. "You know I'm right!"

"I will hear none of this!" repeated Kunzite, a lot louder, and this time he did smack Jadeite, right on the mouth. "There will be no substitute. I don't see you die and I don't intend to let you die any soon. This is nonsense, and way too dangerous. I forbid it."

"You forbid nothing! I am not your underling! I can train who I want!"

"Then the Master will forbid it!"

"No. He already gave his permission.*

''He did what? He knows?"

"Of course he knows!"

"He knows and tells none of us?"

"Wait a minute," said Kunzite. "What exactly was it that the Master has agreed upon? Power strip spells on you? I don't think so. What were the details of the deal?"

Jadeite hesitated. But he knew Kunzite wouldn't give up until he had all the details.

"I told the Master and the Princess that Sailor Mars has discovered some primitive reload technique on Earth magic, and that she had problems with controlling it, and I asked for the permission to train her some spells. I also asked for permission to train her fighting skills."

"Ha! What a shameless, rotten liar you are!" snorted Kunzite.

"Every word of it is true. I wouldn't lie to the master."

"If that is so, then let's go find him and ask his permission to get you stripped for Mars. Just let me hear what he has to say about it. I'd really love to be there when you two have one of your animated discussions."

Jadeite shot him a dirty look.

"I'm asking noone. You strip me, I reload on the natural magical energy of the place, and then you return me my energy, and I pour it all into Mars. Should give Mars nearly a double guardians worth of energy, and we can still repeat it if it's not enough."

"That's your clever plan? You can't reload fast enough, and even you can only take in so much raw energy. Forget about reload. This is only going to work if we include two compression cycles between us. I take it off you and compress it, you back off me and compress it again, and I take it back off you, and give it to the girl, and under no circumstances will she be allowed to touch you."

"Triple strip?" said Jadeite impressed and thoughtful. "That's even better. Okay, let's do it!"

"Are you insane? What the hell is going on in that little head of yours, Jadeite?"

"Come on, Kunzite, we'll be the first to do a triple strip. Of course, if you don't want to, I can get someone else to do it with me."

"And screw it up."

"I don't intend to," smirked Jadeite.

Kunzite smirked back, and Jadeite looked very satisfied.

Wait a minute, thought Rei, since when does Kunzite agree to this? He was dead against when he thought it'd be dangerous for Jadeite, but hey, now it's about being on top of something, and he's on.

"Men," she said.

"That can't possibly be news to you," smirked Kunzite. "I assume you're in?"

"What? I'm not even going to be asked?"

Kunzite realized his mistake and wiped the grin off his face.

Now that was better, thought Rei.

"I apologize, Mars," he said. "I don't agree with Jadeite that you should get powers when you can't stand me in your human form, and I don't intend to make you one of us. I'm simply interested if it's technically possible. But if you don't want to, or have any objections beforehand, please tell us."

"Thank you, Kunzite," said Rei sarcastically. "And you don't have to believe everything that Jadeite says about me. It's not true that I hate being with you. I knew you had powers from the beginning. It was quite hard to ignore actually. It's not the point, and it's not what spending time with you was ever about."

"I know."

"Good."

Kunzite sighed. "So, are you in?"

Rei swallowed. "I would never ask Jadeite for such a dangerous thing... but if he says he has found a way that is almost safe, if he tells me to do it... I will. I wish I could say that I am such a noble person that I would never take advantage of Jadeite. But... as long as we have been doing this, I have never been able to say no."

She turned to Jadeite, partly to escape Kunzite's knowing grin that said "didn't I tell you it's corruption all over", partly because she couldn't pretend this was Kunzite's party just because he had taken it over.

"Jadeite..." she said. "Is this really okay for you?"

Jadeite nodded.

Rei sighed.

And Kunzite's smirk stopped to be amused.

Rei saw Kunzite take Jadeite's face in his hands, very much like she did when she drew energy from him. And she couldn't help noticing that with Kunzite, Jadeite didn't peacefully close his eyes.

And she soon saw why. She couldn't see it, but she certainly could feel it when Kunzite started to draw power from Jadeite, and she was shocked to see how painful it was for Jadeite. He clenched his teeth and suppressed moans of agony, he tensed to much he barely could breath. Kunzite paused for a moment, but Jadeite angrily shook his head.

So Kunzite went for a faster and more effective method, and kissed Jadeite.

No, not kissed. It started out as a gentle kiss, but with Jadeite struggling with the spell again, it became a possessive, then an aggressive act.

Jadeite squirmed and sometimes moaned, and Rei got goosebumps from seeing Kunzite rob Jadeite like this. This was faster than the other method, yes, but... how could he?

They went a lot further than Rei would ever have dared, and she could see Jadeite get pale and sweat, and finally break free and yell. Suddenly, a bright lime green glow of transformation energy shone up, and when it died down, Jadeite had changed. He looked younger, and a bit shorter, his face rounder, and his uniform had lost a lot of sparkles, and some of the purple studs as well, and his golden shoulderpiece missed the two big golden flower pins.

All in all, he was a smaller and simpler version of the Jadeite she knew, and she understood that this had to be an earlier transformation of him. She remember he had called himself a fifth level enchanter, did that mean he had to go through this five times now?

Kunzite had doubts as well. He waited a bit too long before he kissed Jadeite again, and he soon broke the kiss when Jadeite let out a whine.

"I can't do it, Jadeite. This is wrong!"

"You must! If you can't do it, I will get Zoi to do it, and he'd never get over it."

Kunzite's resistance weakened, but he still didn't continue.

"Fuck, I don't have time for this!" hissed Jadeite, grabbed Kunzite's neck and kissed him fiercely.

Immediately, the glow of transformation energy encased them both, and Kunzite obviously played along, because Jadeite went through more transformations, each time his black suit got plainer, and Jadeite became younger, and smaller again, each time the transformation was more difficult and painful the more energy was taken.

Rei wanted to scream at Kunzite. He's just a kid, how can you do such a cruel thing to him when he's so small and cute...

Just when Rei couldn't bear watching any longer, Jadeite lost his last transformation. From a blinding bright shot of energy, a tall, dark haired figure emerged. A tall, slim, dark haired... woman. Definitely a woman, from what a blushing Rei saw, because that woman wore nothing but a transparent night gown, and it revealed softer curves than Jadeite's.

She still kissed Kunzite, but when she realized it, she drew back in shock, and shot him a furious gaze.

"YOU!"

He gave her a warm smile. "Pleased to meet you again, honey."

"It's Hanako!" she snapped. "It would be very kind of you to memorize my name. And it would be very kind as well if you dropped that chauvinistic behaviour of belittling me with names like this. I am not your honey, and I am not avaiable just because I happen to be female and you caught me in this clothing for my transformation. I don't believe this! Have you ever heard of emancipation? Ha! Show me the cave you have spent the last one hundred years in!"

"You wouldn't like it," said Kunzite, the smile still on his face, although it looked a lot more apologetic now. "I'm sorry, Hanako, I really am. Give me a second, and you'll be out of this inconvenience again."

Rei had been staring at the woman open mouthed, her brain standing still. Only very slowly some understanding trickled into her mind.

That's Jadeite, she thought. That's Jadeite, only... he would never yell at Kunzite like this... and he... she... looks good!

Rei didn't sneeze at a good looking guy, but she would always respond faster to women. And whoah, did she respond fast to this woman! This woman, while not being exactly cute, just had it - that certain kind of glamour, a way to catch gazes and not release them again. The way she batted her eyelids, the way she jerked up her head, the way she demanded respect of a guy as intimidating as Kunzite.

And she was Jadeite! Her aura said it. Her whole demeanor said it.

Because while she didn't look like Jadeite, and didn't talk like Jadeite, she had enough little quirks and mannerism that were Jadeite's - the way she shot Kunzite a side glance. The way she jerked her head. The short temper. Something in the way she looked around...

And all Rei could think was how much she wanted to kiss her... look into that soft brown eyes, put her arm around her waist, touch her small firm breasts and kiss her lips until she would take Rei into her embrace, her strong, warmhearted embrace, and mutter sweet things in her ears...

Rei tried to shake that picture of, but she couldn't. All that familiar traits made her feel like she knew her for a long time, she was drawn to her not in a teen's way, but on a deeper, incomprehensible level...

How could such a great woman be the same person as Jadeite?

Rei couldn't get over the change, but Hanako wasn't comfortable either, trying to wrap her nightgown closer around herself.

Hanako looked around with a stern, no-nonsense gaze that made clear that under her feminine appearance still rested a fighter, then she shook her head in disapproval.

"What's this?" she asked Kunzite. She startled when she saw Rei, tilted her head to the side. "I know you..." she said. "You're the girl that lives at the Hikawa shrine. Should you be hanging around with these guys late at night in the middle of nowhere?"

Rei blushed. That was a very good question indeed.

She stepped closer, carefully avoiding to look at Kunzite. Stepping closer to her was delicious already!

"Do you remember what we're here for?" she asked. "Do you remember Jadeite?"

"Of course I remember Jadeite," answered Hanako without hesitating. "But I don't..."

Suddenly, her eyes opened wide and she turned around to hiss at Kunzite. "A complete transfer, how can you be part in that? It's dangerous! Can't you take better care of Jadeite?"

"Don't worry, Hanako, I guarantee you will get him back. I am the one who makes this whole thing safe."

"Nothing could make that safe!"

Kunzite sighed. "You know I'd never admit Jadeite to come to any harm."

"Oh, don't give me that! Remember who you are talking to. Do you want me to refresh your memory? How did he manage to talk you into it this time? Let me guess, it's some little male game and any realistic assessment of dangers got kissed goodbye the moment you realized it'd push your precious male egos."

Rei snorted amusedly.

"It's like you had been there," she said.

"With him, it's never hard to guess," said Hanako with a grin.

Rei couldn't help herself and grinned back madly.

"Now if you two are finished with basking in moral superiority, may I remember you that you are in this as well, and not necessarily for the noblest of intentions," replied Kunzite acidly.

Rei was speechless. How dared he talk about her intentions? What did he know?

"Are you talking about me?" asked Hanako softly.

Kunzite's anger melted like ice in the sun. Rei was amazed. She had never seen anyone disarm him so quickly. He seemed to have quite the soft spot for Hanako. Understandably, who wouldn't, she thought. But it's one-sided, right? Right?

"Sorry, Hanako," said Kunzite. "Must have been my male ego getting carried away. Are you ready to transform?"

Hanako nodded. "We should go on, you still need a compression sequence. Go faster this time, this is not going to be easier if you slow it."

Kunzite hesitated. "I'm... It's going to be unpleasant for you."

Hanako smiled. "I know. It's always trouble when I see you. It's not like Jadeite ever detransfers for a birthday party with cakes and candles."

Kunzite smiled back. "We don't do cakes and candles. We do barbecues on our birthdays. Ready?"

Hanako turned her head to Rei. "Take care. And good luck."

Rei nodded.

Then Kunzite leaned forward and kissed Hanako gently, and all was light. She went from Hanako to Jadeite within seconds, skipping all the younger in-between transformations.

Jadeite emerged, panting, grinning, eyes sparkling, the glow of his lime green transformation energy lingering around him.

Kunzite broke the kiss for a moment, his eyes never leaving Jadeite. It was almost painful for Rei to see how they could silently understand each other. Then Jadeite nodded, and they kissed once more.

Rei could feel the increase in Jadeite's energy level when he drew power from Kunzite, and then she could see it, when he lighted up and shot all his energy into Kunzite, who jerked back his head and yelled.

When the light died down, there were Hanako and Kunzite again, and this time, Rei couldn't take her eyes off Kunzite. He was still recognizable, and wore his long coat and a very similar uniform... but he seemed to be older... stronger... his eyes weren*t brown any more, but blazing ice blue like Zoisite's... and his hair... now the words "worst dye job in the world" were popping up in Rei's mind before she could have a closer look and see that what looked a dirty greenish blonde was in fact a solid light shade of teal with gleaming reflexes in gold that shone so bright that his hair looked a pale shade of yellow. So this was a higher transformation of Kunzite then?

He looked great... and very scary... and Rei wanted to get the old Kunzite back who was a bastard but one she knew and understood. This one looked like he was capable of things that were beyond everything Kunzite had ever tried. If such a thing was possible.

Hanako wasn't doing well. The moment she emerged, she collapsed to her knees, shaking, and trying to suppress sobs. She hugged herself, and started to cry silently. It hurt Rei to see her like this. They all had agreed to it, but Hanako hadn't had a say in this.

Kunzite took off his coat and wrapped it around Hanako's trembling figure.

"It'll soon be over," he said.

Hanako shot him a sharp glance. "What are you waiting for?" she sobbed fiercely. "Go on, I don't do this for nothing!"

Rei was impressed. Jadeite would never order Kunzite around like this, and although Hanako cried from pain, she was determined to make a plan work that she didn't even like. So brave...

Rei was now regretting it. But Kunzite came over and his icy eyes looked extremely determined, and Rei didn't have the courage to stop him.

He stood before her and looked down on her, and Rei felt very small.

But his voice was deep and calm, a lot calmer than Kunzite's voice usually was, but familiar, and it comforted Rei to hear how familiar it was.

"I can not allow you to strip me of all my energies," he said. "But I can give you what you need. Transform as soon as possible. And be ready to give the energy back when I tell you."

Rei nodded,

"Touch me," said Kunzite.

Rei evaded the gaze from his eyes. Clueless about how to do this, she resorted to something familiar. She took Kunzite's face in her hands and waited.

She could feel Jadeite's energy there, and a huge smile appeared on her face. Anything Jadeite was soothing her immensely.

They had trained this, Jadeite had taught her how to deal with his energy. This was lots of it, but she knew the feeling of it, and with a deep breath, invited it into her body.

It took her no time at all to take over all of Jadeite's energy. It was like the energy wanted into her. Kunzite had led out some moans of pain, but seemed to be able to deal with it.

A golden light blinded her when he detransformed out of lack of energy, and was the old familiar Kunzite again, dark, sinister, breathtaking.

His face between her hands made Rei so happy that she laughed.

"Try to transform," said Kunzite.

But she didn't. She just looked at him. He was so hot... his lips were begging to be kissed.

And so she kissed him.

He was so surprised that she had to laugh again.

"I'm just sticking to the plan," she said. "I'm supposed to kiss you, right?"

"Yes," he said. "But now I want to see you transform. I want to know if all this was enough to heave you on the Sailor energy level."

"Okay, " she said, kissed him lightly, and let go of him. She didn't like letting go of him at all. She intended to snatch him again as soon as this transformation thing was finished.

She raised her hands for her transformation spell.

"Mars Power - Make up!"

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**Author's note: As promised, here come the explanations about my transformation system.**

**For Jadeite, we know tow human forms: the nameless boy in act.1 who was the assistent of Naru's mom, and Hanako, who was a police officer in act.0, both played by Jun Masuo. So, regardless which one I'd pick as his basic human reincarnation, I'd have to explain the other one as well. I chose Hanako, because a) I like the idea that the Shitennou police officers were their reincarnations in the modern time, and b) because I like Hanako. And the explanation for the human boy form is the transformation system that I have already used in 'A Whiter Jade of Pale', 'Party Planning' and 'Unforgotten': Every role that the actors of the Shitennou have played, whether in Sailor Moon or otherwise, counts as a different reincarnation of their Shitennou character, and I gave them the ability to take these forms by will. **

**So Jadeite could take the human boy form by will, but he'll fall back to the Hanako form in case of energy loss because she is his current reincarnation (I guess I cheated a bit on that one, but I'll explain that in later chapters). And Kunzite could assume a seemingly human form and another human form in addition to Shin in White Jade. As Akira Kubodera has the most acting experience, I gave him the biggest range of forms (not exactly gave him, they were just there for reference).**

**I hope I've been able to make things clearer with that. If you have questions, please ask them, I'll just be happy to ramble on about logic in magic for quite a while ;D**


	13. Transformation

**A/N: I should warn you. This is the chapter that made the whole story M-rated. This and the following one. It's not going to be overly explicit, but unmistakably people are going to have sex. Lots of people, lots of sex, plus nonconsensual scenes and violence. Given the characters involved, it's probably not that much of a surprise. If you don't want to read it, you can skip the next two chapters, the story can be followed from there just as well.**

**I'm sorry for the long wait, I had to fight down a writer's block, but at least, avoiding to write this chapter made me write further chapters, so the gaps in further chapters will be a lot smaller than in this one.**

**Don't worry, I'm not going to abandon the story, because it's my favourite one and also my most personal one. Thank you Khmyh for pushing me a bit now and then, it was the help I needed!**

**So now on to the story, it's all going to be one big mess, hope you like it, and please comment!**

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"Mars Power - Make Up!"

Flames covered her, and rose petals swirled, but not long enough. Before her transformation was through, she suddenly stood there as Rei Hino again.

She was shocked. Shocked that it had almost worked. She hadn't really believed in it. She hadn't really grasped what it'd mean. Now she knew... and still couldn't do it!

She let out a disappointed yell.

"Why didn't it work? Why did I get it wrong?"

"No. Rei, look at me. Calm down. Your energy level wasn't high enough, but you're almost there. It's not much energy you're going to need. Take it from me. It's okay. I'll still have enough energy left for all of us."

Rei was so eager to transform, and so relieved he offered her a way, that she only could ask breathlessly:

"You certain about that, Kunzite?"

Kunzite's face became even more determined. "I haven't gone that far to back out of it now."

Rei held Kunzite's head again and smiled again. Don't worry, said her smile. I'll take care of you.

Kunzite didn't look any calmer from her smile, it was probably better not to wait too long with this.

And because she had seen him do this, and because it had worked so well, and because she really really wanted to, she kissed him.

He wasn't kissing her back, but he wasn't breaking the kiss either. She concentrated on his energy that she could feel very well.

His body tensed, his breath stopped, he was definitely uncomfortable. Rei should have been sorry, but she wasn't. He'd done the same to Jadeite, he deserved no better. Her kiss got hungrier.

In the middle of her kiss, he jumped back, pulling up his coat against her. Because she suddenly stood engulfed in flames, and felt herself snap into the form she still knew so well.

**Sailor Mars.**

A bit different though. The Shitennou energy felt colder, and was harder to control.

The bow on her chest still was purple, but in a lighter shade that reminded of Jadeite's signature color. Her leotard had suffered, too, the lower half had turned black, while the upper was still white, with a fog-like zone of grey in between them that seemed to be in a restless movement, black swirling up, white swirling down.

She had half expected something like this, the memory of Mercury's changed appearance still very clear on her mind. The changes felt unfamiliar, but it could have been worse. Much worse. Pink, for example.

She sighed.

And then she saw Kunzite. Kunzite staring at her openly, and grinning like a cat that got in the aviary.

"What is so...?" asked Rei. Then she growled and turned so she could see her back side. "You'll be one sorry little guardian if I see a puff of tull..."

But her bow was red like it used to be, and solid instead of puffy. Only now it was covered with a golden rose leaf pattern that she knew very well.

She growled again, but actually... actually, it looked kind of cool.

She checked her shoulders. More golden pattern, instead of white stripes. Yes, it definitely looked cool. And Kunzite could definitely stop grinning at her now.

Because his grin spread warmth in her belly like strong liquor. The kiss they had shared had done something to Mars, and his grin and the appreciation shining in his eyes did some more of it. She wanted that.

But there were things she wanted a lot more when she was Sailor Mars.

Fire was one of them.

Mars fired a Youma Taisan fireball into the night, and another one. Oh, how she had missed them!

Fireballs were a girl's best friend. Oh yes.

"Mars, you should probably not use up too much energy," said Kunzite warningly.

Mars laughed. "Don't worry, I'm already reloading on natural energy. I can't believe how easy the reload is now that I'm transformed."

"But that is raw energy!" protested Kunzite shocked.

"I can deal with it. That was actually the very first thing Jadeite taught me."

Kunzite sneered. "I really shouldn't be surprised..."

"If it's any consolation for you, I know it's a stupid thing to do. But look at this, Kunzite! Look!"

Burning Mandala!

She fired a whole series of them. Whoah, these were just great. So much more precise and powerful.

She grinned victoriously at Kunzite. He had the cat grin back on again, but there was also something else in his face. Like the sight of her mandalas had stilled a hunger and evoked a bigger one at the same time. Longingly. He was loving these. It only occured to Mars right now that he had never seen her fire them before.

What, he was impressed already?

"What do you think, Kunzite - how many of these could you block?"

"Ho!" he sneered. "The question, Mars, is, how many of these can _you_ block when I throw them back at you!"

Mars slowly walked closer to him.

"Each."

Closer.

"And every."

Closer.

"Single."

Closer? Of course.

"One."

Now closer wasn't an option any more as they were already so close that Mars could feel the heat of Kunzite's body in the air between them.

"Is that so?" asked Kunzite mockingly, his smile inviting her further.

"Just for the records," said Mars and lightly touched Kunzite's lips with the tip of her index finger, amused by the desire that sparked in his eyes at her touch. "I could have kissed you all the time we've been going out if I had wanted to. I don't need Jadeite to come up with an excuse for it."

Kunzite opened his mouth for a reply, but Mars closed it with a quick kiss onto her finger that still touched his lips, only the hint of a kiss without real contact, but it successfully fused Kunzite's speech centre. "And it's also not true that I'm just going out with you because I'm smitten by your looks..." she had to add another finger to his lips to avoid another reply, "... or because I have illusions about your character..." a third finger had to be pressed onto his mouth to still his protest, "...and I have never heard anything as stupid as that it takes a transformation for me to see if a guy is hot or not."

She bent her head back a bit and eyed him critically while Kunzite for once didn't try to comment and just waited for her judgement with his head cocked to the side.

"No," she finally said, "you're not looking hotter than before." She left the "because such a thing would be hard to imagine" away. And because she knew Kunzite would explode if he couldn't answer to that, she took her hand off his mouth and added: "You were trying to say something?"

Kunzite had a lot to say actually. He pulled Mars towards himself and told her lips a whole lot of things that were on his mind. And Mars was glad to hear them.

* * *

Until now, Mars had forgotten what it was like to read someone through their touches, the language that a senshi of passion was best at.

Kunzite... his hands and his lips, his taste, his breath, his voice, they all told her what Kunzite was like.

How he always waited too long, challenging his own self-control until he detonated all over the place, and how he cherished these moments, even if he felt a bit ashamed of how much he did.

His kisses spoke of desire, of wanting to explore who she was, challenge her to a hundred games, and expecting her to be no less than a fantastic opponent, and she knew damn well she was. A perfect match, as Jadeite had said. But of one thing his kisses spoke not: Future.

Their encounter would be timeless, precious, unreal. Already she could feel the confidence she always felt with him. This would be amazing. Kunzite's touches promised fun and lust. Intense moments, taking her, giving himself to her.

He wanted her, oh, how much he wanted her. And she wanted him more than she had ever wanted a man, as long as she could remember.

Her body was in flames. Each body part in its own kind of flames, its own temperature, and with a will of its own. If she gave in to her body, her arms would wrap around him out of their own decision, her leg would run up his thigh and cause his hands to develop a will of their own at the opportunity, her breasts would be against his chest to see what the roughness of the studs on his jacket could do to them, her hip would do a first and almost unrecognizable test against his hardness, and her mouth would be all over him before she even had a second to think about it. It would come naturally to her to make him answer to her, push him further. She'd be like a fish in the water. It'd be so much fun. And who knew what Kunzite could come up with when she tried to lure out his darker sides... she shivered from anticipation and quickly had to kiss that idea into him and out of her mind, and she could feel his hands on her back moving more purposefully.

But... all they would do now would be bought from someone else's time. Someone who didn't have time to waste.

Kunzite sensed she got distracted and let her break the kiss.

Mars looked at him, not knowing how to say it. Her lips wanted to kiss him again. But her heart wasn't into it any more.

"... but... how about...?" she pointed to the woman who had cringed in discomfort again, and cried silently.

Kunzite stared at Mars. His lips curled.

"I knew it!" he hissed, and his grip around one of her arms tightened. "I knew who you'd choose!"

Only now it dawned on Mars that there was still a choice announced. She had all forgotten about it.

"Kunzite... it's not like that... just... we can't do this on her costs..."

Kunzite stared at her like he didn't understand. Then, with quick, angry movements, he went over to Hanako, pulled her to her feet, dragged her over to Mars and shoved Hanako so hard into Mars that both almost fell.

But Mars caught herself and Hanako in time and held the trembling woman tightly.

She shot Kunzite an excusing glance.

"Just give us a few minutes, okay? Just a few minutes... "

Kunzite didn't answer that. A furious sneer was all he had to say about this.

He stomped some steps away, turned his back on them, and watched the last rays of the sun with his arms folded, brooding, and tense. Mars would have worried - but right now she had enough to worry in her hands.

* * *

Hanako was so cold she was trembling, and her lips were blue, and even in Mars' arms, she didn't get enough warmth. Considering that she was barefoot and almost naked under Kunzite's golden coat, it was a miracle she hadn't frozen solid already. Mars felt a mixture of shame, but also anger.

I'm the senshi of fire, thought Mars, I will not admit cold in my realm.

And with a flick of her hand, she planted fires next to them, and discovered that they didn't need fuel, with just a bit of concentration she could keep them going.

As an additional benefit, the light of the fires reflected off Hanako in the most beautiful way, reminding Mars of the subtle glow that Jadeite always seemed to give off.

It was a feeling Mars couldn't describe with words when she felt Hanako become calm in her arms. The sobbing died down, the trembling stopped, the whole woman relaxed in her embrace and gratefully leaned into her shoulder.

I did that, thought Mars.

For a while, Mars just held Hanako against her, warming her, holding her in a firm embrace. It felt unreal, and very strange. Because Hanako was definitely the older one, a woman probably ten years out of her teenage years, and the girl Rei had never before delt with a woman of that age other than distant and respectful, and Mars probably had, but couldn't remember any older woman but Queen Serenity, and she sure had treated her with utter respect. And now someone older was shoved into her arms, needing her, relying on her. For a while, she just waited for the roles to be reversed, but when it didn't happen, she shook off the little girl mood. She wasn't here because she had played little girls' games, or because she intended to. This was grownup territory, and she was a warrior. And even more, she was Rei Hino, who didn't need superpowers to rock at this. Or anything.

Giving up on the girly mode was so rewarding when it meant you could have someone in your arms who needed you.

She couldn't resist stroking Hanako's brown hair. She could have told herself that she was only doing something to thaw Hanako from the inside as well, calming her down. But she knew it wasn't just that.

Hanako looked up, astonished.

"Are you feeling better?" asked Mars.

Hanako nodded, still watching Rei intently.

Mars stroked her hair again and didn't dare to smile at her. Hanako had accepted her help, but now Mars was going beyond that, probably offending the other woman.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't know you'd come out of the power strip like this..."

Hanakos's smile started small, but spread over her face, her head, her shoulders, her whole body, a golden shine of joy.

"Don't apologize," she said. "Look at yourself, it was so worth it. You're so gorgeous, Sailor Mars."

Rei would have felt embarassed, but Mars appreciated of the compliment.

"I owe it all to you," she replied, "And you're gorgeous, too."

This time, her hand stroked Hanako's cheek. Very lightly, but not hesitating. She had a feeling Hanako wouldn't mind,

But still she was shocked when Hanako kissed her hand, and broke out in tears.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Hanako sobbed a bit.

"Nothing," she said, and smiled through her tears. "Nothing at all. It's just been so long I've been buried in someone else's life... just look at me... silly me, thinking I would never see love again."

Love.

Mars felt uneasy by this. She was the senshi of passion. She was here because she had played with fire. But still... given a choice between holding Hanako and keeping her safe, and kissing her, would she have chosen holding her? Or was it all wishful thinking of Hanako?

Then let go of her, if you think this is just about her soft lips and her nipples and her even softer other lips, said a mean little voice that she usually used on others. You don't have to embrace her like this to kiss her.

But she couldn't let go of Hanako. She couldn't even think of it clearly. It so obviously made no sense at all.

"Sh, don't say silly, love," Mars whispered. "And please don't cry, now that I've finally found you. We don't have much time."

Hanako's sobbing ebbed down. "We have forever," she replied with a smile. "Not even death can keep us apart. Thanks to the immortal guys we're featuring."

"How is that possible?" asked Mars. "How can you be... Jadeite?"

Hanako smiled. "It's not that much of a story. I am Hanako Kiiroi in the same way that you are Rei Hino. Well, you can guess how it went, source of energy, Guardian transformation, same as you guys. Only a bit more unpleasant."

She laughed.

"Like you, Rei Hino, I am encased in an immortal life. That esoterical crap will guarantee we will always return."

"Always?"

"Promise, love."

It was Hanako who initiated the first kiss. Short, testing, questioning, but Mars was delighted, and gave her back a whole number of similar ones, until Hanako needed a break.

"Bear with me," she panted, "It's been a while since I've been doing that."

Mars was moved. If only she could admit to her fears and vulnerabitlity with so much grace.

But then, she just had to burst into a giggle.

"Bare with me?" she repeated. "Really? But I don't have a coat to warm me when I bare."

Hanako chuckled. "You're so silly. Hm, I'd probably let you slip under mine. If you ask very nicely."

What a bitch. Mars kissed her.

"Nice enough?"

"Hmmm... nice try, little one, nice try, but..."

Oh, so that's what it's like? said Mars' smile.

Mars didn't stop kissing her new lover, and at a certain point, Kunzite's coat was slung around them both, and Hanako pulled Mars closer. The coat was thin but suprisingly warm, and its smell reminded Mars of Kunzite. She had been aware of his presence, but not paying him attention. Now she looked up what he was doing. He stood further away, his back to them, watching the sunset with folded arms, and from the way he tilted his head, Mars saw he wasn't pleased. Not at all. She knew she should do something about it as soon as possible, but she had a feeling her time with Hanako would be short. Kunzite was a full grown warrior after all, he should have the discipline to last a while without interfering. She would explain the situation to him later. That she hadn't meant to replace him. That she hadn't made a choice yet.

But not now.

Hanako had followed her gaze.

"Kuroi..." she sighed. "So gorgeous..." She looked back to Mars. "Why me?" she said. She didn't sound meekly, or ashamed, just astonished, and Mars loved her for it.

She smiled. "Probably because I can't think of anyone else who dares yelling at him like you. I mean... with no clothes on..."

Hanako chuckled. She blushed a bit, but she was also amused.

"Best time to yell at a guy," she said. "Let's say I had his attention."

She grinned, and Mars grinned back. Wow, that was something neither Rei nor Mars would have been able to do.

"You have a hell of a nerve," she grinned.

Hanako laughed again. That brave big laugh she had for all that life threw in her way.

"With these guys around, you better had," she chuckled. "No need to be shy around them anyway. For them, I'm just a peculiar sort of boy."

"They must be blind," murmured Mars and kissed her.

But Hanako didn't kiss her back. She shot her one of the stern no nonsense gazes.

"What about Jadeite?" she asked.

Mars hesitated.

Jadeite, who still was Beryl's.

Hanako, who could be hers.

"Not now," she whispered. "Please. I want this to be your time, your time alone."

It didn't take her long to kiss all doubts out of her lover's mind.

And this time, when her hands wanted to follow their own mind, she let them.

When Rei Hino had been Sailor Mars, she had always wondered how this outfit was put on or off when it wasn't done magically. Mars didn't seem to have memories about it. Or if she had, they were probably similar to this and too private to share. Well, Mars was about to find out about it. Because the senshi's outfit seriously got in the way.

The gloves were easy. They went first, because Mars needed to feel her lover under her touch. Hanako's hands easily slid under the chest armory, but Mars tried to slip out of the hardened breast piece nonetheless, to give Hanako's hungry kisses some new places to roam.

Oh, whoah, that had been a mistake. Hanako kissing her clothed breasts was so unbearably fine that she needed to get out of the leotard too. Only how? It closed in the back. But it didn't open.

It took them a long time of kissing and giggling and Hanako promising to rip the fabric off her with her teeth until Mars gave it up and tried to dematerialize it magically. She was massively distracted by her lover, and it didn't really work.

"Whatever," grinned Hanako, and let her hand brush lighty over the black fabric over Mars' most longingly waiting spots. "I'll have to work around it."

Mars' doubts lasted a few seconds, then Hanako had found her way and tested a few touches and how Mars liked them.

They were only promises, but Mars liked them too much already.

The next moment, she gave herself into her lover's hands and blew all caution into the wind.

The next moment, all hell broke loose.

* * *

"That's enough!"

Kunzite hand shot forward and caught her temple, his fingers spread out to grab her head.

"Return what's not yours. Return it this minute!" he hissed, and Shitennou energy built up around his fingers.

Mars didn't understand what happened until she felt the pain. He was taking back his energy, and Jadeite's, and he was doing it too fast, way too fast!

She wanted to tell him to stop, to be careful, to take it slower... but her body was one knotted paralyzed mess of pain, worse than anything she'd ever felt, and all she could do was scream.

She was aware of Hanako holding her tightly against herself with one arm, while she tried to push away Kunzite's arm with her free hand, yelling at him. But she couldn't stop him either.

Red flames covered all three of them when Rei couldn't hold up the Mars transformation any longer and fell back to her human form, and Kunzite didn't even let that stop him, even if he groaned between clenched teeth.

"Take your hands off her!" yelled Hanako. "That's not how we do it!"

"You!" growled Kunzite when he was finished with Rei and his hand closed around the back of Hanako's neck.

"You dead thing, ghost of the past, don't you dare creep up on us and demand what's mine! Keep your dead hands away from the living. If I ever catch you reaching out of your grave to anyone again, I will wipe you out of Jadeite's memory for good and you can look for love in hell! Don't you ever forget that!"

Rei's eyes had filled with tears the moment the pain ebbed down, so she couldn't see Hanako's reaction. She only felt both of them shoved down to the ground, Hanako landing on top of her, and with the little bit of willpower she had left, she could wrap her arm around her.

Who said it was Kunzite who decided about Hanako and her?

She's mine, said her arm. Say what you want.

But Kunzite was finished talking.

He tore his coat that covered Hanako aside, and through her blinking, blurry vision Rei saw him open his pants.

Hanako's yell of pain, the additional weight of Kunzite's push, and the lime green transformation energy seemed to happen at the same time.

And then what Rei held in her arms was bonier, warmer - and blond.

Two big blue eyes stared at her in utter confusion, and she could only stare back, just as shocked.

Then, Jadeite looked away.

"Damnit, Kunzite, you always have to speed up the good parts!"

With a moan, Jadeite sank his head on Rei's shoulder.

But Kunzite didn't give him much of a pause, one hard move into Jadeite gave Rei an imprint of something she wasn't prepared for, and a sound she never wanted to hear from Jadeite again, and then Kunzite pulled Jadeite up onto his lap, murmured something into his ear, put his arms around him, and took him slowly.

Jadeite closed his eyes and fell into Kunzite's rhythm, almost automatically.

Rei was so shocked that it took her a few moments to understand. She felt so vulnerable and exposed, even if she now wore her training outfit again. Confused, she got up into a sitting position, wrapping Kunzite's coat around her. Her fires were off, the cold crept in on her immediately. Now she had an even better view, but she still didn't understand.

So... not only was she robbed of Hanako... and then of Jadeite... not only did she get to see this... but on top of it, she suddenly got hit by a realization. Of course she had been aware that Kunzite mainly dated her to get her attention away from Jadeite. She had been thinking this was because he wanted her for himself. But could it be it was because he wanted_ him_ for himself?

Jadeite... was Kunzite's?

Those two were so familiar with each other, so perfectly in tune... she didn't need her senshi of passion instincts to see they weren't doing this for the first time.

What made things worse was that she was entirely unprepared to see a man thing like this. Sure, she had seen Jadeite naked before, but... she hadn't really looked. Now, it was unavaiable. His cock was pointing accusingly to her, pinkheaded, hard and neglected, moving with every of Kunzite's moves. She tried to take some confidence in the thought that he looked good, well-proportioned, fun even... that she sure had had bigger and scarier toys in her before (Minako was a collector as well as a connaisseur), that she shouldn't be impressed or whatever guys thought girls should be... but it didn't help. She was humiliated, and she was angry. Because this was punishment, and she couldn't accept it.

Kunzite had no right, no right whatsoever, to do this to Jadeite, expose him in front of the girl he had tried to hit on all evening. Kunzite had been evesdropping where he shouldn't have been, and that was noone's fault but his own. He had no right to be mad at either of them, he had no right to interfer, and he had no right to let her see Jadeite like this.

And think she would just let him.

No way would she sit here and watch Kunzite take her love away like this.

This show ended right here.

Give me back Hanako, she thought.

Give me back the one I love.

She took a deep breath.

"Kunzite!" she yelled, and he looked up, giving her the ironic smirk that said he knew exactly what he was doing.

Rei gave him the stern look that said she was well aware of it.

"Kunzite! Stop playing games!"

_Give me back the one I love._

"Give me back Jadeite!"

* * *

**A/N: A cliffhanger, I know... but I'll bring on the next two chapters a lot faster than this one! Pollen season will give me lots of quality indoors time and I'll spend a good deal of it on pushing Jadeite over the edge of sanity, I promise! Can't wait to hear what you're thinking about this chapter!**


	14. Transgression

**A/N: The other M-rated chapter, a warning for those who want to skip it: This is all lemon! **

**You can pick up the story in the next chapter if you don't want to or shouldn't read it.**

**

* * *

**

"Nani?"

"You heard me. Give me back Jadeite!"

Rei was astonished to hear herself saying it. But the moment it was out of her mouth, she knew it was true.

"Jadeite is mine. I'm not giving him up!"

Jadeite's eyes now opened, and he looked at her, all confused. He and Kunzite had stopped moving, but Kunzite had no intention to let Jadeite go, because he still held him tight. He smirked, but it was an uncomfortable smirk.

It said he knew he was wrong, and Rei had to build on that.

She scooped over until she sat next to them, and put a hand on Jadeite's face. His eyes widened.

"Mars..." he stammered.

She smiled. This must all come as a shock for him, with all he had been through in the last minutes. But he didn't have to be scared. She wasn't going to mess it up again. Rei Hino was a lot more aware of the situation than Sailor Mars had been.

"Shh, Jadeite, everything's going to be okay," she said, and her words were directed at Kunzite just as much as at Jadeite.

Her hand still caressed his cheek, wandering to his temples and ear, leaving an opening in the middle of his face that she very, very slowly leaned into.

"Mars... no... no..."

He intended to turn his head away, but the slightest resistance of Rei's hand was enough to stop him. He obviously didn't know what he wanted. But Rei knew it.

"You don't have to be afraid, Jadeite. It's okay."

She kissed him, very gently. He was scared out of his mind. Of course, Kunzite and Rei fighting over him would scare anyone. He had wanted to settle this conflict, and now he was right in the middle of it. Literally. And Rei knew how he was when something didn't go as he had planned it.

She kissed him again, trying to tell him through her kiss that he didn't need to be scared.

Then she looked up to Kunzite. He didn't like the sight of this, but apart from a piercing stare, he hadn't interfered. Mars held his gaze for a long time, her hand not leaving Jadeite's cheek, and when Kunzite still didn't start threatening her, she smiled at him, and kissed Jadeite again. It had always been too easy to read Kunzite.

The moment when Jadeite closed his eyes and very shyly kissed her back was more exciting than anything Rei had ever experienced.

Very lightly, like a whispered promise, she kissed him again, And again, he kissed her back.

She could read his kisses as naturally as she had read Kunzite's.

Jadeite was afraid to admit to his feelings. His feelings for her. And he was ashamed of them. He had a whole lot of issues with his feelings, but they were there. And he wasn't able to put them aside. Not with the girl he longed for kissing him like this.

Rei was patient. She didn't hurry him. It was very important that she was as gentle as possible with him, not forcing him anywhere, just holding him at this stage, telling him she was there. And he could just as well stop being in denial about it, because she was not going away.

His kiss became firmer without him realizing it. Rei was happy, and just kept his pace, just answered so he knew he was welcome.

It was a sneer from Kunzite that could have ended it all, but on the contrary, made Jadeite angry, and now he kissed Mars for real, putting a hand on the back of her head to pull her closer.

Kunzite's embrace on him was still close enough that when he moved, Rei knew very well that he moved in Jadeite. And Jadeite answered his small moves and what they did to him by turning lust and fear into anger, and anger into kisses. The time for gentle reassurance was over, and Rei had enough to do to answer his rough, demanding kisses now, and deal with the feelings they shot right into all her sensual spots.

They wanted to be touched! And she wanted to touch, too! As Jadeite's chest was still in Kunzite's grip, all she could do was run a hand up his thigh and ask herself what to do next. But the loud moan Jadeite gave off made it clear she better not waited too long with whatever one did with boy parts.

She actually would have loved to play with his hair for a while before touching him, but things were moving fast now, and she so wasn't ready to stay where Kunzite might be, so she ran her hand up his length which felt like it looked, and slightly finished over the tip, which felt a whole lot better than it looked. Amazing, actually, and Jadeite seemed to like it, so she touched it again, feeling guilty to go for the most reactive spot that bluntly. For a second, she realized what her tongue could do to him there, and laughed into his kiss.

She was surprised when she suddenly found herself sitting on Jadeite's legs, unmistakeably aiming for bringing her fun zone closer to his. Although it was probably the next step because both of them couldn't stand the teasing much longer, and Kunzite's constant rocking Jadeite didn't help either. Rei and Jadeite were now in the current of it, and could only go with it.

It was horribly uncomfortable though, to sit on someone who sat on someone else, another reason to get to the point.

Rei started to wiggle out of her clothes, although it was hard, because she couldn't let go of Jadeite at the same time.

Getting the boots off wasn't easy, but at least she didn't have to break the kiss. Her three sets of pants were more difficult but only because she got entangled in them. She instantly got cold, but this wasn't going to stop her. It was just going to make her keep the coat on, and also, keep the horribly ugly but also terribly warm sweater on for as long as possible and get rid of the things she wore underneath. This was complicated, especially with all the kissing involved, but it was possible.

The socks had to go too, although she would have needed them desperately. But she was taking this serious, and you couldn't have a serious first time with thick knitted socks on. Her feet would go numb within no time anyway, and she wouldn't feel the cold anymore.

At last, the sweater had to go. It was the warmest thing she'd ever known short of an eiderdown anorak, but it itched on her skin, and smelled of sheep, and was the most unelegant shade of brown imagineable.

She started tucking at it, but Jadeite touched her hand and shook his head.

"Not that."

Kunzite sneered amused.

"So it's true. It really is your first time?"

Rei didn't understand and shot him an annoyed look. Why wasn't she being kissed right now, and why was Kunzite amusing himself on her costs?

He grinned.

"We have this little rule that has always served us well. Never remove all the clothes when trying something for the first time. It's too distracting."

"Then I'll keep the coat!" replied Rei quickly.

"You're going to freeze," grinned Kunzite.

"I guess I'll have to get me someone to keep me warm," shot Rei back and got rid of the sweater as quickly as she could.

Jadeite finally seemed to understand what all the goosebumps and shivering on her side was all about, and with a quick movement of his arms, he relighted the fires she had planted earlier.

Better? said his smile.

"Good boy," said Kunzite mockingly, grabbed his chin to bend his head back and show Rei how you kissed a boy if you were meaning it.

Then, with a smirk, he let go of Jadeite, pushed him even towards Rei.

"Come on, Jadeite, don't let your beautiful woman wait."

Jadeite clearly wasn't recovering from this treatment, his eyes were still clouded, when Kunzite was about to withdraw his arm that had held up Jadeite until now. He was clearly about to leave them alone. Rei surprised herself by snatching his wrist and stopping him from doing so.

He stared at her in surprise, this took him totally off guard. Rei just stared back. She didn't know how to put in words what her feelings told her. That neither Kunzite nor Jadeite were ready to part yet, that she didn't want to hurt them.

That she wanted to fight this through now, and not over and over again, and it meant facing Kunzite, here and now, on his own grounds^. That she knew Jadeite wouldn't get over if Kunzite ruined it for them like he had ruined it for Hanako, and she was well aware that he would take losing Jadeite a lot worse than the Hanako thing.

And Jadeite needed Kunzite. He wasn't ready to deal with this on his own yet.

Rei held on to Kunzite's arm, until he had understood, and nodded.

He closed his arms around Jadeite again and kissed Jadeite's neck, and he changed their position so Rei would be more comfortable on Jadeite's lap.

Jadeite didn't understand.

But Rei did, and all the fear and pain of the day melted away and left her bubbling happy and eager to start. She felt like embracing them both, and she would, but she would be going slowly. No need to rush Jadeite now. She planned on some hovering and teasing and gentle touches, getting the most out of that smooth tip which seemed like it would be the best part of the whole male adventure. She was really looking forward to it.

It only took one second to reveal that she had no idea whatsoever about men, their man thing, and all the hardness, flexibility and backbouncing involved in the relation between those two, and it took only one entirely miscalculated movement to have his whole thing in her almost full length. It should have felt rough, but it was only unexpected, and odd.

Rei was more than surprised. She had expected a time of playful adjustments, including errors in angles and placement, but not a perfect match, and their bodies finding themselves on their own. So this whole male-female arrangement actually made sense at this level? It had never occured to her. A part of her still wasn't getting over the situation, and the boys it involved, and the fact that they were boys. But it felt good, and Jadeite felt good, too. Wrong, sort of, being a boy and all... for a second, the wrongness overwhelmed her, and she had one second of full blown panic thinking of pregnancy, and how she remembered zero of the safe parts of her cycle and all... but then she got a grip. She'd deal with it. Nothing bad would come out of this. This was important, and it was good. She loved Jadeite, and for his sake, she wouldn't space out now, but give him her full attention.

She looked at Jadeite's face. He was staring at her, just as astonished as she was. His big blue eyes made her want to laugh. So clueless, so cute!

She just had to kiss him. She knew that at this point, some movement was supposed to happen, her against him, or the other way round. But why hurry now? Now she wanted to kiss him, and she did. He still was very surprised, and overhwhelmed, and his first kisses were shy.

So, so sweet. So good and innocent.

It was Kunzite who didn't want to wait.

Now they moved.

She instantly realized that this was not a toy. This was entirely different from a toy, no matter the resemblance. This thing that felt good inside her belonged to a boy, and seeing him, feeling him, hearing him, smelling and tasting him was way more exciting than anything the toy shaped part of him could do to her.

The kisses had gone from unbelieving over testing to downright demanding, and Rei was just too happy to answer to these demands.

She needed to hold herself onto someone, and she needed something to do for her hands. But everwhere where she would have been able to hold on to Jadeite was Kunzite. Whom she couldn't avoid to touch anyway, but on purpose? She wanted to touch Jadeite.

But then, Jadeite got a hold of one of her nipples, just catching it between his long fingers, and that was unbearable and heating her at the same time, and so for the first time, she picked up speed. It so happened that her hand that wanted to catch Jadeite's, ended up on Kunzite's arm, stroking him, and when that got them all out of control, grabbing a handful of fabric of his sleeve to keep herself steady.

The last few moments were pleasure and torture at the same time, definitely too much pleasure, too much, too fast, too strong, and the need to have each other even more, even faster and even stronger was terrifying and inescapable.

Jadeite who got a double dose of it all cried out his despair and still it took him more to finally come and get relieve. Rei wouldn't even have noticed he came hadn't he rested his head on her shoulder again. But Kunzite still wasn't done with him, pushing into him harder than before, and Jadeite moaned along. Then a hand teased her right above her clit. She didn't even want to know whose hand it was. It said, I can go lower, and deeper inside any moment. If you make me.

She still had Jadeite in her, but all she could think about now was that hand and the promises it held, and Kunzite's ragged breath in Jadeite's ears. She wanted that hand to go further so much, She kissed Jadeite's damp hair, because she had to do something else than just moving in Kunzite's rhythm.

Then finally the hand moved, found her way into Rei's treasures, and before it even could do much, the touch alone, and the anticipation of what it could do there made Rei scream in ecstasy. Now the hand was a nuisance, but it wasn't long and then Kunzite came after a long series of intimidating moans, and then they all slumped into each other for a moment, and the hand was gone.

Rei kissed Jadeite's head again, and then she knew she had to reach over, pull Kunzite towards her and kiss him too.

All this, no matter how bad it had been, could have been a lot worse through him. But he had played along. She owed him at least a thank you. The kiss was distant, and came unexpected for Kunzite, but he understood.

They had to part when Jadeite complained and tried to wiggle out of his uncomfortable position.

And then Kunzite parted from him, murmured something into Jadeite's ear, and closed his pants again, and Rei got up to get dressed against the cold again that started to creep into her body again.

Jadeite just sat where they left him, motionless, and a quick lighting up of energy brought his clothes back on him.

Rei quickly dressed in all the layers she could find, as Jadeite's fires were about to go out, and she already was cold where she had touched the ground. Speaking of which...

Jadeite was still sitting there, hunched over from exhaustion, his cloak fell over him and almost hid him in the dark. His breath was heavy. Too heavy.

"Are you okay, Jadeite?" asked Rei and put a hand on his shoulder.

Jadeite flinched, and knocked her hand away.

"Don't touch me!" he hissed at her, and his eyes glittered hatefully. "Don't you dare!"

Rei was shocked.

"What do you mean, Jadeite?" she asked.

He jumped to his feet, a bit unsteady, and took a step backwards.

"Never touch me again! Who do you think you are?"

"Jadeite!"

"Don't touch me!" hissed Jadeite and stormed off into the dark.

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**A/N: This is too wordy, right? Did anyone but me know it that exactly? ;D ... I might go over the chapter later, and see if I can get a more compact version. Should I?**


	15. Transition

**A/N: I say this belated as I didn't want to put it over an M-rated chapter: Before reading this, I would like to ask you to please take yourself a minute to commemorate the terrible losses in Japan during the last days of earthquakes and tsunami. **

**It feels so odd to be helpless about it and thousands of miles away while at the same time submitting a story that takes place in Japan. My heart is with everyone whose struggling there right now.**

**Thank you Rahar Moonfire for letting me use one of my most favourite scenes from your story "Tomorrow, It Begins".**

**For all the readers who have skipped the last two chapters, don't worry, you will be able to pick up all the necessary hints from Jadeite and Rei fighting over what happened.**

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"Don't touch me!" hissed Jadeite and stormed off to their shelter.

"Jadeite!" called Rei and hurried after him. "What's wrong?"

Jadeite turned around. "What's wrong do you ask? The nerve you have! What's wrong in your head, that's the question!"

He stomped off, and when he reached the shelter, he leaned to the huge rock it was built against and buried his head in his hands. He hadn't shivered sitting naked in the cold night wind, but he was shivering now.

"What do you mean?" said Rei, but when she approached him, he turned away from her.

"Go away! I don't want to see you. Leave me alone!"

"Jadeite..." said Rei. "Why?"

He lifted his head and shot her a hateful glance. The bright moonlight made him look pale as death.

"Who do you think you are to take me like that?" he complained. "Against my will, just like you owned me?"

"What?" Rei didn't understand. "You were trying to hit on my all evening, you said you wanted to do it with me just some minutes before..."

"Yes, I wanted you, but not like that. Certainly not like that. You had no right to do that."

Rei just let out an openmouthed "Ha!" She just got more upset every second. "So when Kunzite is taking you roughly, and I am gentle with you, it's me who gets all the blame? Why don't you complain to him?"

"In case it didn't occur to you, I wanted Kunzite, and you I didn't. I knew you'd mess it up."

"Excuse me? I what?"

"Jadeite, be patient," said Kunzite who had come over to them. "It was a first time. Don't have unrealistic expectations. First times aren't easy."

"Unrealistic?" exploded Jadeite. "Because I don't want to be used like I'm a toy? Because I don't want to be snatched away when someone likes what she sees and doesn't care about anything else? Because I want to hear at least one single nice word? One second of pretending to like me is asking too much?"

"But I don't have to pretend that I like you," said Rei. "I do... I more than like you, Jadeite."

Jadeite sneered, and her heart sank. "Great way to show me, Hino. I feel so loved and appreciated right now. And did I already thank you for stripping a batch of my powers right after a triple strip and a dirty reload?"

Kunzite tried to calm him down again.

"Now, Jadeite, don't talk like that. You're tired. Wait until tomorrow before you say something you might regret."

Jadeite sneered again. "Just the right one to lecture me on regret, Mr Making-the-most-pointless-self-sacrifice-in-history-TWICE! Just the right one to tell me how to get it going with people! Get a grip of your own life, Kunzite, stop hiding behind me."

"Nani?"

"You know, I always thought it was me who held on to you, who needed it, who didn't get a grip. I blamed myself for keeping you from getting your life in order. But now... coming to think of it... Isn't it convenient for you always to have an excuse for not moving forward? 'Sorry, can't really make an effort with Mars, or anyone, even the one who always loved me, because Jadeite needs me so.'

Hell yeah, I do, and you bet I'm not proud of it. So what the fuck made you think you can hand me over to be a senshi's toy? It was horrible, and I hated it. Noone has ever just taken me without at least giving me a reason, not even you, so _shut up, Kunzite and leave me the hell alone with your clever remarks._"

Rei was certain that Jadeite had never in his life yelled at Kunzite before. Kunzite was so surprised he didn't even know what to say.

But Rei knew it. And she was too angry to let "horrible" pass. He had most definitely not hated it.

"Oh, now it's self pity," she said and drilled a stern gaze into him. "But before that, you thought it was perfectly normal to shove me into Kunzite's arms. I don't remember you asking me for my opinion on that great plan!"

"But I didn't force you! You always had a choice!"

"I didn't force you either! I didn't exactly hold you down, you could have gotten up and gone away at every second."

"That's a lie and you know it. I said no, Rei, I told you I don't want you, and you didn't care. You could at least apologize. But you still don't care. Leave me alone, Rei Hino, I've had it."

"Excuse me?" barked Rei. "I was perfectly okay with leaving you alone. I kicked you out of my life, and the next thing I know is you're back right in the middle of it, taking over my shrine, my priest, my class, my time, trying to hit on me, insulting my friends, drugging me with your damn powers, sleeping in my bed, and not for a second telling me you're actually a girl. Did you listen when I told you to go away? You had the nerve to sneak back and watch my life fold around you until it's all Jadeite-shaped, without my permission, and when it suddenly isn't just a game of 'Mess up Rei's entire life' any more, you complain to ME? I let you into my life, Jadeite, against better judgement, and behind the backs of my friends, so don't you tell me know to go away, because there is no damn place in my life I could go where you haven't already dug your claws in!"

Jadeite still was upset, and got loud, but he didn't exactly yell at her, more sulk at a higher volume.

"It's not my fault that your life is so screaming lonely that you jump at the first guy who pays you an ounce of attention!"

But Rei didn't let herself provoke. She slowly came to realize her mistake and knew she couldn't afford any other one.

"Did you hear what I was saying, Jadeite? You're my life. I don't know why you came back after I sent you away, but you did, and I started to trust you."

She felt herself weighed down by the things her mouth said without her knowing where she took them from, but no way would she lie to him.

"You wanted me to choose, Jadeite. I know you had plans for my choice, I'm sorry they didn't work out, but if you had been honest with yourself, you wouldn't be so surprised now. I'm sorry if you think I desired you without having feelings for you, it's not true. I love you, and I'm not going to give you up for anyone."

Jadeite just shot her a tired look. "You're doing it again, Mars. Just pushing forward with your emotions and not asking about mine."

"Yes, let's ask about yours," said Kunzite. "Do you think I wouldn't notice when I'm suddenly coming in second? She's made her choice, Jadeite. Now how about you tell us about yours?"

Jadeite stared into the distant mountains. "There is no choice for people like us, Kunzite. I made one single choice in my life, and I stand by it. But that's it. There won't be another one."

Now he looked at Kunzite, and his mouth twitched. "Our lives are tied to a traitor. He'll demand whichever life we lead for his own purposes, and throw it away whenever it pleases him. Choice is so pointless."

Rei could see that Kunzite was more shocked about it than he showed.

"That was the past, Jadeite, but the past is over now."

Jadeite sneered. "You're such a pushover, Kun. You jumped at the first chance to forgive him, even when he was about to hand the world over to the darkest demon we've ever crossed. Mamoru... trying to take down a demon single handedly, and knowing damn well who would be the ones to come after him if he failed. Ha! You should have heard him pity poor Jadeite when it dawned on him that him coming to the Dark Kingdom just made us all just die slower and more painfully than without him."

"But he came back for our sake."

"No. He came back for you and Zoisite. He didn't come for me."

"That's not true."

"What do you know, Kun? You were so busy running against the Master all the time, and then coming to me to nurse your hurt pride. Did you see what was happening around you at all?

And now you're happy again to sit at the feet of this PRETTY BOY who has soft hands that never held a sword and soft words that pretend he's never been a thief and a traitor before. I know how you crave to feel these soft hands on your shoulder, how you crave his forgiveness over and over again. But I don't. I never will."

"I remember you were a lot more forgiving when your Queen Beryl betrayed us," interrupted Kunzite him sharply.

Jadeite's eyes that had been hot with fury went cold. "Don't speak of her in that tone, Kunzite. Why do you think did I give myself away to Beryl-sama? Has it never made you wonder why a woman famed for cruelty treated us all with more care and respect than Endymion did? Don't get me wrong, Kun, I love Endymion, I always did, and heaven help me, I still do. I will protect him in this life and in the ones to come. But he has lost every right to call me his brother or his friend ever again. If I had a choice, I'd rather serve a anyone but him.

Thief, liar, traitor, demon! How dare _he _forgive _me_?"

"Jadeite!" said Kunzite shocked. "Mamoru is a good guy. He's not the Master we used to know."

Jadeite smirked faintly. "They're both the same. Each of them left me to die, once for the princess, once for Metallia-sama. Both times, they got themselves killed and the Earth distroyed. You were the one who reminded me of it. I wouldn't even have known. It was you who taught me to see Endymion in him."

Kunzite shook his head. "Then I will have to teach you to see more in him as well. Don't give away the chances he offers to us. Because of him, there is a place for love in your life now."

A very slow, very deep sigh left Jadeite, and it took all his rage with it. His head sank down.

"No. I've had all the love that I need. I'm sorry, Rei, for borrowing your life. I sure don't have one I could offer in return. Go away, before you get hurt. Leave me alone. There's nothing here for you. The Jadeite you loved died ten thousands of years ago. Don't mistake me for him. I'm just a shadow of who he was, and even the most of that shadow still lies buried in the Dark Kingdom. You're chasing memories and dreams, Rei, you're wasting your time. Go away. Don't come back. Leave me alone."

He dropped to his knees, a beaten warrior, exhausted to the point of fainting. Rei cried silently. She was painfully familiar with the way his face was drained of all color and his head became to heavy for him to lift it up again, and not being allowed to help him any more hurt as much as his words. Don't come back? He already treated her as if she wasn't there.

Jadeite took a deep breath, and even that seemed to take a lot of effort.

"Kunzite..." he said, his voice as soft as a feather. "I wunna go home."

"We can't," said Kunzite softly, "Not yet. First you need to regenerate your powers. And then we'll have to tell the Master what happened."

"To hell with Endymion," Jadeite said, but there was no power behind his words, just endless exhaustion. "I'm tired. Can I sleep on your lap, Kunzite?"

Smiling quietly, Kunzite nodded and sat next to him. Jadeite sank down, and it looked more like controlled fainting than anything else. His eyes were already closed when he murmured:

"And stop patronizing me when I need someone to talk to. Get me Zoisite."

He took another deep breath.

"I'm so tired. I want to sleep forever... for all eternity..."


	16. Legacy

**I'm updating already. I must be out of my mind. I have other things to do. Freak out over another slice of bad news from Japan for example...**

**So... if you think I got a bit carried away at the end of the chapter, I fully agree... I admire everyone who is able to stay on topic with their story ;D ... at least, it got me glued to the chapter until it was finished.**

**Warnings? Not certain. There's a youma involved, and she isn't schooled in niceties, but she's doing her best. Which in case of a youma, is her worst. If you need to be warned will probably depend on the way your imagination runs.**

**Adins, this is your fault. You wanted to see more of Tethys. Too bad the formatting here doesn't allow for a decent youma howl.**

**Dear readers, see what you get for reviewing: Bonus scenes requests granted!**

**Please review!**

**Yami's Chan, some extra angst thrown in for your pleasure! ;D**

**And again, big thanks to Khmyh for moral support.**

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"I'm so tired. I want to sleep forever... for all eternity..."

Kunzite carefully wrapped Jadeite's black coat around the boy, and then his golden coat as well.

This was the moment Rei couldn't take it any more. This was as close to home as Jadeite would ever get, to what _he_ called home. Jadeite had moved on, reached out for her in the past weeks, but she had hurt him, a boy who only clung to life with the faintest grip, and there was no telling what'd happen to him now that he had let go and nowhere to turn except Kunzite.

She felt a lot like falling down herself now, but instead, she reached into her pocket, got out the fire lighter she carried with her, and then the former senshi of fire sat down and tried to get a fire on again with this tiny silly flame in her trembling hands. She could go nowhere without any of the Shitennou's help, so she could just as well see that she wouldn't be freezing.

Kunzite's eyes followed her movements, but he didn't help.

It took her several attempts until the little campfire was burning, and Kunzite returned his attention to Jadeite.

Sitting by the fire made her feel better. The shine of a fire was much friendlier than the light of the moon, and she needed the warmth. And she needed it between her and Kunzite.

Not because she was afraid of him.

She should be. She was in the middle of nowhere, had picked a fight with him, and won. Kunzite wasn't a good loser. For lack of practise, probably. Hanako had paid a high price for making him lose Rei. And now Rei had tried to take Jadeite away from him.

She told herself she should be afraid of him.

But she wasn't. She had made the biggest mistake in her life, at the worst time possible. If she lost Jadeite, she simply didn't care any more what Kunzite would do.

Kunzite did nothing. Just every now and then, he poured a small amount of golden energy from his hands into Jadeite.

"Kunzite?" said Rei after a while when she couldn't take the silence any longer.

He didn't answer. But Rei was certain he heard her very well.

"Kunzite... please... talk to me... tomorrow, I will wake up and probably decide that I don't ever want to talk to you again in my whole life. If there's something we need to talk about, we must do it now."

But Kunzite didn't say a single word. He didn't even show that he had heard her. He sat there, stone faced, thin lipped, and his gaze was locked on Jadeite.

The knowledge that she was a very, very long way from the next human soul tried to close a cold hand around Rei's throat. But she refused that knowledge. Kunzite was there, and he heard her very well. She was certain of it.

"Kunzite... I'm glad you're here. I should be mad at you for coming, I should be yelling at you for pushing Jadeite, and forcing our friendship into something none of us is ready for. You'd deserve that I hate you for what you did to Hanako. But I can't."

She waited for a response, but there was none.

So Rei kept talking.

"I've already forgiven you. I don't know if that was right. But it's true."

And it was. It scared Rei. The moment she had put a hand on Kunzite's arm, and he had accepted it there, had changed everything.

Forgiveness was better than hatred, right?

Peace was better than fighting, right?

Mars, the fighter.

Rei, who had held on to Mars. Who had gotten herself into this by desiring powers that weren't hers. Who had weighed fire over responsibility. Over love. Who had thought being only human wasn't enough for her.

I was looking down on love, she thought, I was looking down on the princess, and Endymion. And again on Usagi and Mamoru.

I deserve this lesson.

But Jadeite doesn't.

Not him.

"Please, Kunzite... Jadeite needs you. And that is my fault. My fault alone. What I did was unforgiveable... I won't complain if you hate me... you could never despise me more than I do myself... I don't expext you to forgive me ever... but... if there is anything I can do... anything... tell me... don't let me stand by and see him like this, and be so helpless..."

Very slowly, Kunzite turned his head and looked at her. His gaze was stern and Rei dreaded what he might say, but she knew she had to hear it. Anything would be better than nothing at all.

Kunzite gave Jadeite a side glance before his gaze bore into Rei again.

"This could be Eternal Sleep if you had tried the transformation adventure on your own," said Kunzite coldly, and Rei just for a moment didn't grasp what he was trying to tell her. "If you ever do this to him without me, he might well sleep in and never wake up again. Do you understand that?"

Rei stared at him in horror, and nodded, her eyes filling with tears again. She was too worn out to mask her feelings, and his calm, cold words cut into her like a knife.

"Swear you will never transform on his energy again without someone by your side who is strong enough to stop you!" demanded Kunzite.

"I promise!" sobbed Rei.

"No. Swear."

"What for? You heard him. He's not having me around any more. I'll hardly get the chance to mess him up again."

"He didn't mean it," said Kunzite with an angry move of his head. "He's tired and confused."

"But he said, don't come back!"

"He didn't mean it," insisted Kunzite. "His temper can get the better of him. You better get used to it."

"But what if...?"

Kunzite sneered. "You know what's going to happen if you do go away as he's asking? He'll be on your doorstep the very next day."

That didn't sound angry any more. Not even bitter.

Matter-of-factly. Sarcastic, even.

More Rei didn't dare to read into this.

"Maybe not this time..." she answered and bowed her head down. "I was a friend who didn't demand anything of him. He was free to come and go. But now we are talking about love, and he has a complete breakdown and shuts himself up."

"Only for now. If any of us can still open up to love, it's him."

Rei lifted her head for a short glance to Kunzite.

"Not you?"

The words were out of her mouth before she had time to think.

Stupid Hino, she silently scolded herself. Don't talk like you're still friends. He'll never be your friend again.

Kunzite silently thought about her words for a while before he answered.

He didn't sound unfriendly at all.

"I have duties, Mars. I am responsible for a lot of people with no common sense whatsoever. They rely on me. I have left a human life behind to be strong enough for this. I became human for you a few times," Kunzite continued, and there was a little smile in his voice. "And you didn't like it. Neither did I. This is something that lies behind me. I had love. It was good. I can still have lovers. Probably not the best idea all over, but not the worst thing either."

All too sudden, Rei was reminded of who his lover was, and the memory shot straight into her guts.

"If I had known that you and Jadeite..."

"Don't think that we... that's just... Shitennou business."

Rei looked at him unbelievingly. The Shitennou really had an interesting approach to their vocation.

Kunzite avoided her eyes.

"We... we look after each other," he said. "I owe him that much. A Dark Kingdom legacy... Back then, it was through him that was reminded of who we used to be, that there's something besides pain and despair in the world... All the energy I brought Metallia was for reviving Jadeite, keeping him safe... and later, when I had lost Mercury to Nephrite, Nephrite to his sword, and Zoisite to his memories of the past life, Jadeite was what kept me alive. He has some immortal spark of light in him that even Metallia couldn't taint. He was my hope. When I lost him to Beryl, I was doomed."

Rei was speechless from his honesty. She was searching for something to say.

"You have that spark, too," she said.

Kunzite smirked humourlessly.

"The guy who would have slashed Mercury in two in front of your eyes?" he asked.

"The guy who could have been stopped with a feather. One sharp look from Nephrite was all it took."

"Don't think I didn't let him pay for it."

Rei smiled.

"Don't think it wasn't worth it for him."

Suddenly, Rei realized the stars in the sky that made it through the moonlight. She still was feeling cold and terrified, but somehow, the world wasn't all upside down any more.

Thank you, Kunzite, she thought.

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"So, will you swear that you will never do this again?"

Kunzite's voice was still firm, but not cold anymore.

"No."

Kunzite disapproved of this, of course.

"Kunzite, I am already bound by another oath."

"An oath to hurt Jadeite?"

"No. Of course not. I promised Jadeite I will take them over when he is... giving them up."

"Giving them up? What is that supposed to mean? There is no way he could give his powers up."

"He did just today."

"For a very short time. Mars, are you aware what you're saying?"

This would have scared her to death if his voice had been cold. But she only heard concern.

"I know what this is looking like. It looks like I am taking advantage of Jadeite in order to rip his powers off him even if it takes his life. But I won't! I do this because he asked me to. I would never do anything that could harm Jadeite. I really care about him."

Kunzite sneered. "How can you strip him all this time and still say you care about him? Have you got an idea how unpleasant it is?"

I think you just gave me an idea today, thought Rei.

"Kunzite, maybe it's painful if you do it. But when I do it to Jadeite, he feels nothing. No pain, no fear. I know it's unusual, and you might not want to believe it. But you have seen us when you came here. We were talking while I took in some new power, Jadeite was comfortable. That's what it's like for us. It feels natural."

Kunzite shook his head. "This is madness."

"I know. But never in all this time has Jadeite been in danger. We are very careful. We only go to places where he can refill his energies quickly, and we really try our best to learn how to handle it. There is no way I could want his powers more than I want him to be safe."

You do believe me, don't you?"

Kunzite hesitated for some dreadful seconds that would decide about Rei's whole further life.

"I better had," he finally conceded, "considering that I am about to give him up for you."

"You... you are?"

"My dear child, this is not a decision I could make. This is a decision Jadeite has made."

"I thought I was hearing the exact opposite."

"You thought wrong."

It was really pointless to argue with someone who was so stubborn.

"So..." Kunzite had to clear his voice to go on. "So, do you uphold your claim on Jadeite?"

Rei frowned. What a weird way of putting it... Well... taking someone right out of his lover's arms couldn't be called anything else...

"Yes I do. If he wants me to. And I want to hear that from him, not from you."

Kunzite sighed and rubbed his temple. He looked tired.

"I'm not the one to sort this out, no... Jadeite is right, we need Zoisite.

You need to bring Zoisite here, Mars. I don't want to leave Jadeite alone."

"I'd be happy to, but... how do I do that? I don't even know where we are, and I can't teleport. And from what I heard, Zoisite can't track us here."

Kunzite took his sword out of the sheath and held it towards Rei so that the side faced her.

"Take this," he said. "If you descend to the point where you teleported in, Zoisite will be able to trace it and see it comes without me. That should make him curious enough to come over and see what happened. And in case someone else traces you first, the sword may be handy to have around."

"Someone else?" said Rei as she carefully took the sword out of his hands. It didn't weigh much, but she could feel the insame amount of magic energy that it held. Holding this would certainly wipe all other concerns from her mind from the sheer necessity to keep that much power under control.

"My sword is pretty popular," smirked Kunzite. "Very famous. Some people might think they could easily take it from you. I heard you are skilled with swords?"

"My personal weapon is the short sword."

"Good. Don't give my sword to anyone but me. Ever flared a beam through a sword?"

Rei got up and concentrated on Kunzite's power in the sword, and the blade started to glow. Before she had time to weild it, the energy earthed itself into the ground before her feet. She shrieked and jumped back. Whoah!

But then she shot Kunzite a smug look.

"Now I did." She grinned. "Nice sword."

"Nice?" asked Kunzite with disdain.

Rei raised an eyebrow.

Heartbeat accelerating smooth channel of destruction and anything that's no good, said that eyebrow.

"Nice."

* * *

The first part of the way was easy.

On the barren high plateau, the moonlight illuminated her path brightly enough.

But then came the desent through the trees, and Rei couldn't see anymore where she was treading.

Usually, Jadeite provided some light for it just by loading up his hand with his energy.

Rei briefly considered loading up the sword, or trying to take energy over from it, but she instantly decided she much rather stumbled around in darkness than stumbling around uncertainly with the sword firing aimlessly the moment she slipped. It didn't matter where she went anyway, as long as she was going downhill and got away from the magical field of the plateau that hid her from Zoisite.

She wasn't much afraid of darkness anyway. Would have been a bit pointless when she had been out at night at her times as Sailor Mars. Although Tokyo at night was something entirely different from a place that was really dark. And now even the moon was darkened by some passing clouds.

That was... not good.

Was it only her imagination that made her feel like she was being followed? Had there been a sound she wasn't used to hear in this place? Had there been movement?

No, she told herself. Go down, get Zoisite, no time for playing lost little girl now.

But there had been something!

Now she was certain of it.

And - Kunzite had warned her that the sword would attract unwanted company. He sure hadn't said that without a reason.

She stopped, trying to breath without making a sound.

Rei listened, and tried to pierce the darkness around her with useless stares. Then she concentrated on the energy around her with her senshi instincts. The natural magic blurred her vision, but she tried nonetheless. Yes. Someone was there. Now that she admitted to it, it became overly obvious.

Now it moved again.

Youma. Insanely strong, or insanely close.

She let the energy in Kunzite's sword concentrate in the tip of it, to get some light, and some damn good attack ready.

The light fell on a tall, tentacled shape only a few steps in front of her.

Insanely strong _and_ insanely close.

Oh God.

Rei almost panicked. But panicking wouldn't help her, and noone needed to panic with a sword like this.

"What are you doing here, Tethys!" she hissed.

Tethys bowed her head.

"I wass jussst curiouss," she said. "Pleasse take my congratulationss on today'ss ssuccess at crumbling the Shshitennou unity to dussst."

"What?" Rei felt very much like blasting her away right now, but she had a feeling Tethys would be prepared and not happy about it.

Tethys had indeed seen her tighten her grip on the sword, and took a step back.

"I come in peaccce."

Rei sneered at that. To her surprise, Tethys bowed deeply before her.

"You don't need to fear me today, Ssailor Marss... all I can offer you iss admiration. I'm a youma... I undersstand... it'sss not below me to bow to massstery when I find it."

She straightened again and stared at Rei who felt immensely humiliated although she couldn't exactly say how. "What?"

"It wass delightful to watchch... Ththe e firsst gleam of hope, ththe feeding of ththat hope, ththe ssudden outbursst of the flamess of passssion, ththe ththorough roasssting of the ssoul, ththen ththe ssudden releasse into cold noththingness, and finally sseing a beloved one ssuffering even worsse - each sstep iss delightful, and when done right, ththey make a masster pieccce of torture... you're truely the ssensshi of passion, SSailor Marss, you handle it like the shsharpesst weapon... you're truely magnificcient when your feelingss are rejshected... "

"You're the right one to lecture me on unrequited love, aren't you?" interrupted Rei her coolly. No matter how miserable she felt, she would not let this abyss of malice mock her for it.

Tethys bowed again, just as deep.

"Now turn the knife counterclockwissssse, Marsss-ssama" she rasped in admiration.

Rei just sneered.

Tethys stared right back at her, with her unsettling eyes that were all black in her porcelain white face. She had the most piercing stare Rei had ever seen on a youma.

"'It'ss not that I don't undersstand your dessire, Marss, or that I don't admire your sskillss. On the contrary... and it'ss not like Masster Kunzzite hassn't brought it upon himsself. He iss a big boy and can handle thisss, and provide uss withth ssome entertainment. But when it comess to Masster Jadeite, I can't let ththiss kind of ththing passss. It'ss jussst not good enough for him. He desservess the besst. Only the besst. I won't let you usse him for your perssonal revenjshsh on the Shshitennou."

Now Rei was surprised.

"But I don't..." ... have a grudge at the Shitennou, she wanted to say, but then she remembered that she had started going out with Kunzite because she had, well, not exactly a grudge, more an epic thirst of, well, yes, revenge. That was what it had started it. But things had changed.

"Well, youma, I don't think you'd understand," she finally said.

The black eyes of Tethys lit up in red for a moment. "Humanss aren't hard to undersstand," she said. "So you laid claim on Masster Jadeite tonight?"

"This is a weird way of putting it, but yes."

"And will he be your playththing like he ussed to be, a drone in your hive, a sservant under your feet?"

"Of course not, are you stupid? I know you don't like to hear this, but I love him, Tethys. And it will hurt me just as much as you that he doesn't want love."

Tethys made a strange, coughing noise, and Rei realized she was laughing.

"Welcome to my world, Marss, may you find fulfilment noneththelesss.

I give him into your handss for now. But I can assssure you I will watchch you, and the sssecond you are careless with Masster Jadeite, you will faccce me for it."

"Then I'll face you now."

* * *

Tethys cocked her head to the side, puzzled, or mocking, Rei couldn't say.

Rei made one step towards the youma.

"I can't think of doing any worse than today. Let's get it over with, youma."

My goodness, that beast was tall. She had fought Tethys before. She knew that tentacles covered a great range.

She also remembered tearing smaller youmas apart like paper that day, and blowing Tethys out of this world single handedly in one large storm of fire. And from their previous encounter in Kunzite's kitchen, there could be no doubt that Tethys remembered her defeat vividly.

Still, Rei made one more step. Tears filled her eyes. She had fucked it up, in every sense of the word. If she was paying for it now... She was not backing out of the consequences. And a youma wouldn't find her cowering in fear.

"'Tethys, I..." she started, but she didn't know how to finish. She hoped the youma couldn't see her tears in the dark.

She felt a tentacle wind itself around her knees.

She didn't even consider fighting it. She was afraid. But she was ready to accept whatever would come. She discharged Kunzite's sword, and the light at its tip went out. She wasn't going to let go of it. But she couldn't use it to defend her actions. Her inexcusable behaviour.

The tentacle moved slowly, and laid another sling around her thighs, then her hip, and twice around her chest, giving her room to breath, but closing firmly around her, pinning her arms to her body, sheathing the sword to uselessness.

Rei cried silently. She wouldn't wail out in front of the youma, but now, in the dark, she could let her tears run free. When Tethys tightened her grip and lifted her up, she didn't resist. She felt Tethys grow even taller, and slowly transform out of her humanoid shape.

The youma's white face was the only thing her eyes could make out in the dark, and now Rei was high enough to be face to face.

I'm sorry, Tethys, she thought.

I'm sorry, Jadeite.

Tethys pulled her closer. The youma's breath blew over Rei's tear stained face, when Tethys' humanoid mouth turned into youma mouth parts which opened to let a long tongue out.

Rei had to close her eyes when that rough tongue swept over her cheek, and licked off her tears.

Right, left, and then again, slower, more gently even, savouring every salty streak on her tongue, until she was cooing from delight.

"ThthththtankyouuuuMarsssssss," purred Tethys, a hollow howl accompanying her words, and Rei felt herself lowered and pressed against Tethys' chest plate, more tentacles wrapping around them.

Shameful as it is to cry in front of her, thought Rei, at least one honest hug I get out of this night. She laughed shortly through her tears.

"Thank you, Tethys," she sobbed and smiled at the same time.

"Wwweretttruuuely ssisstterss inththissmissery nouuw," howled Tethys. "Wwwe mussssstnttt looooose houuuuuppppeyetttt.

Douuuyouuuu wwanttttouu gohhhhouuuumenouuw?"

"Yes, please..."

Tethys didn't have to explain to her why she couldn't teleport Rei directly into her home. She had sense enough to keep out of a shrine, even when she came with a Sailor Senshi, and she has sense enough to return to her more humanoid transformation in town.

Rei didn't thank her again. But she nodded to her in acklowledgement.

"Tethys, I need you to do something. Jadeite wants to see Zoisite, can you bring him there?"

"Masster Jadeite... wantss to ssee Masster Zzoissite?" Tethys seemed not to like that idea. "Why?"

"They need to talk. Can you bring him there?"

"Of coursse. If it iss Masster Jadeite'ss wishsh..."

Rei nodded again, and Tethys was gone.

Rei could do nothing to stop her still flowing tears when she slowly climbed up the stairs that led to her home, Kunzite's sword in a tight grip, unlike her life.


	17. Tea in the morning

**A closure for the events of the night. **

**Something nice (look, no f-word!) before I let the Demon Hunters loose.**

**I wrote the Artemis part in one go, and didn't change it since. I really like it. Initially, I planned on the priest's wife to be the one Rei would talk to. There has to be a grownup in her life who's good for anything, right? But then I realized I didn't need to come up with new confidantes, there's plenty of them already. And it makes more sense for the story that Rei wouldn't open up to someone in the parent position. **

**Minako meddling with the situation, well, it was fun to write. Hope it's fun to read, too. Not certain if it makes such a lot of sense at this moment for the storyline. But oh well, that makes the majority of scenes in this story ;D**

**

* * *

**

Rei didn't sleep at all. She couldn't stop crying, she couldn't stop her heart from racing, she couldn't stop feeling dirty and ashamed. She finally gave it up, made herself a cup of tea and sat in the open terrace door of her room where she listened to the sounds from the awakening town, Kunzite's sword besides her. She shed some more tears, and admitted to herself that she was scared.

She wished she understood what had happened, what she had gotten herself into, but she didn't. It didn't make sense at all, and where it did, it hurt.

"Good morning, Rei-chan!" said a familiar voice.

"Good morning, Artemis."

"You're looking terrible, Rei-chan. Don't you want to tell me what's the matter with you? You might feel better if you do."

Normally, Rei would have stormed away at a request like that. But today, she was feeling so shaky she didn't want to play strong any more. Artemis wouldn't be able to help her, but maybe he was right, maybe they could at least talk. If she could take consolation from an ugly and cruel youma, she had no reason to sneaze at a friendly little cat.

"Promise me you won't tell Minako about it."

She terribly missed talking to Minako, but she wouldn't be able to deal with another scene.

Artemis was hurt. "Of course not. You know I am used to keeping secrets."

He jumped into her lap and curled up there.

"So, what is so bad that you sit here in this beautiful morning and cry?"

Rei wiped the tears out of her eyes and started to stroke Artemis. Yes, it would be good to talk to an old friend.

"Oldest story in the world," she sneered through a sob. "I love someone who doesn't love me."

Artemis didn't say anything, he just rubbed his head against the palm of her hand until Rei continued.

"You know I was going out with two boys who mean something to me. And then I met someone else... But now..." New tears made her view swim. "But now I realized none of them is loving me back.

There's Jadeite... he's so daft... but also so good and warm-hearted... I need that in my life... I want to hold him when he's sad... but I know when I am sad, he's not going to be there to hold me. I feel so totally stupid to waste my feelings on someone who wants someone else. But I just can't help it.

And then there's Kunzite... he puts me at ease, he makes me strong, he opens worlds for me. Between us, there are many important things, but not love, and I wish it was different. The truth is, he will never need me. He is already complete. And I am not, and it makes me feel small and insignificant next to him.

And the third... has everything I could wish for... needs love like a man in the desert needs water... touched my heart the second I saw her... and then I lost her again, and I didn't fight to hold her back. I am a coward, Artemis. I fought for Minako. I always thought I would fight for everyone I love.

But now... I realize I sacrificed someone who needed me, and I am asking myself, is it like Minako said, because being with a woman threatens my dream to become a Shinto priestess? How can I still think I am worthy and strong enough to be a priestess when I act so heartless?"

"Oh my..." said Artemis. "That's some tough times you are going through. But you are not heartless, or you wouldn't feel all that responsible and regretful for someone else. And you are certainly not small and insignificant, or Kunzite wouldn't spend so much time with you. The number of people he treats as equals can be counted on one hand. And you, Rei, are one of them.

And Jadeite... well, I wish I had something helpful to say about that. He must really be daft if he wants someone else."

Rei smiled for a second and wiped more tears out of her eyes. "He loves someone who died. He blames himself for it, he doesn't get over it. He drownes himself in pain, in loss, he seeks to get hurt, he plays with death. He scares me so. I wish I could help him, but he doesn't want help. He wants to go, and I want to hold him back. I know it's wrong..."

"No, it's not. Jadeite is a Guardian of Earth. There is nowhere he can go. Death has no hold over him, he will always be back as the one he is."

"I never thought this would be such a burden."

"I doesn't need to be. We both know what a blessing it can be to get another chance, and Jadeite needs another chance so badly... Rei-chan, you mustn't blame yourself if Jadeite can't return your feelings. Maybe Jadeite isn't ready for love yet. One day, he will be. I won't lie to you, Rei-chan. There is no guarantee that on that day, when he is ready to love again, he will love you. But right now, he needs you. And you need him."

"Yes."

"That's a great start. Things aren't as bad as you think... have you ever wondered why Jadeite keeps coming back every week while you are at school, and works at the shrine?"

"Sort of... yes... he isn't doing this for my sake, I hope..."

"I think he comes here because this is as close to real whole human life as he can get. He anchors himself in life, even if he's not aware of it. He might feel desperate, but to me, it looks like he is already healing. We shouldn't lose hope yet."

"But then why do I have visions where I see him die?"

"You do?" Artemis was alarmed. "See him die? How?"

"Well... not exactly die. I see those creepy youmas attacking him, and he isn't fighting back."

"He shouldn't have to. It takes a very special kind of youma to harm Jadeite. He has power over them."

"These are very special, believe me."

"But you don't see him die. Cheer up, it might not be so bad. Don't give up hope yet..."

Rei sighed deeply, stroking the little cat until she felt a bit better.

* * *

With no more than a soft thud, someone landed in front of Rei.

"So here's my cat."

Rei didn't ask her how long she had been around, evesdropping. Who could land with a perfect Sailor V grace like this could climb the roof and spy from there easily. The fact that Minako looked sad rather than furious said it already.

"Tears?" was all Minako asked. No accusations, no anger. A side glance to the sword. "For which one?"

Rei looked at her unbelieving.

"Jadeite of course."

"So... what are you going to do about him?"

"Do about him?"

"Yes. What are you going to do to about Jadeite?"

Rei made a noise that was halfway between a sob and a laugh.

"I already did something."

Artemis and Minako looked at her expectantly. Very expectantly.

But not even to her closest friend she would be able to talk about last night.

"And I blew it," was all she could say. "I hurt him."

Now it was a sob.

"What if I lost him? This is the worst time I could lose hold of him. If I lose him now... it might be forever..."

"Shh, now calm down, Rei. You haven't lost him yet. He's still there, right?"

Rei tried to smile. "Right."

"And you love him?"

Rei nodded.

"See? That's how easy it is."

"You're right, Minako. I can't give up. I'll fight for him. I can't be entirely useless all the time."

"Just, Reiko... if you really want to fight with all that you have..."

"Of course!"

"Then... all that you have - that inludes us! Don't fight alone."

"But... what about Makoto - she doesn't like the Shitenno. And Ami and Usagi with their happy couple confidence, they don't know how it can be like..."

"But they love you! We all love you! We want to see you happy! And if Jadeite can make you happy..."

"Yes, he can."

"So it's settled then. All of us united to bring Jadeite down. Reminds me of the good old times..."

Rei smiled a tiny smile and held up her cup.

"Tea?"

* * *

Minako sipped at Rei's tea and sighed heavily.

'"Look at the mess I find you in. Why aren't we talking about things any more, Rei? You're using Jadeite to keep separate from us."

"That's not true... I never wanted it to be like this... but everyone needs to get their final exams in order. How could I burden them with my problems? I'd never forgive myself if Usagi failed her exams because of me."

"I don't have exams this year."

Minako had fallen behind with learning when she had been sick, and never aspired to catch up on it again. Her career was about to take off internationally, and she would make an embarassing exam some time next year, or maybe the year after that. She wasn't in a rush, as long as she could expect top grades in economics.

"But you have work."

"And I have a phone. So why don't you call me, and hang out with Jadeite instead?"

"I call you a lot, Minako, three times per week, sometimes even every day. It's not like we don't talk at all... it's just... sometimes... "

"I know there's things you don't want to talk to me about. I understand that everyone needs some alone time every now and then. But will you accept our help again now? Can we talk now?"

Rei closed her eyes. Tears were slowly running out of her closed eyes.

I can't talk to you about the letter, she thought. To you, of all people, the least. You are the reason that one letter can mess up my entire life. You are the reason someone can hurt me so easily. It's not your fault, but it's because of you, and there's nothing you can do about it.

"I'm so glad your help. Never thought one single boy could be so much trouble. Everything's so strange about him. We'll talk, Minako. We will. Just... don't push it. I need some time..."

"Just as long as you stop trying to fix every thing by yourself," smiled Minako.

Rei opened her eyes again and smiled back through tears.

"I thought you were mad at me," she confessed. "I thought you'd scream a lot..."

"Ah, totally saving that for later... just one question, Rei... Is he worth it?"

More tears.

"Minako..."

The senshi of love wasn't going to let her get away without an answer.

"Is he worth it?"

"Minako, damnit, of course! He's the kindest and most faithful soul you can find."

"And let's not forget his unerring fashion sense," smiled Minako.

Rei grinned through her tears.

"That's better," said Minako. "Okay... Jadeite suddenly best thing since strawberry short cake... think I got that now. If he is what you want, I promise I do everything that you get him back. Feeling better now?"

Rei tried to smile. "Thanks. I don't think I'll get him back, but... thanks."

Minako wiped the tears from Rei's cheek with the backside of her hand.

"Don't talk like that. You belong together, remember I knew it from the first moment I saw you together. And you don't want to call the senshi of love stupid..."

"Over-optimistic?"

"That's what love is all about."

"Great."

"I know."

For a moment, they were silent, and Rei allowed one tiny speck of optimism to herself.

"But, Minako... shouldn't you warn me against one-sided love?"

"One-sided?" sneered Minako.

"Jadeite... doesn't..."

"Mars Reiko, I am not even going to try explaining boys to you. But Jadeite... I've seen him look at you. All I can say is that you have no idea. No idea whatsoever."

"So I realized," replied Rei dryly.

"Don't talk like that. Just... just out of curiosity... what did you do to Kunzite to get a hold of his sword?"

Mars so didn't want to talk about Kunzite right now.

"He gave it to me. As a teleport beacon, sort of. Long story... listen, Minako, I need to get ready for school. Can you get the girls to be here after school? Then I can tell the story to all of you at once."

"You don't really want to go to school in that state?"

Rei carefully put a resentful Artemis off her lap and back on the ground.

"I must. If I slack out of exam preparations now, I'll never get back in again."

"Nonsense. Go to bed, Reiko. Mope a while, eat something that adds two pounds to your hips, and let me take care of the rest."

"That's very sweet of you. I know it's going to be a hard day at school. But I need to start getting a grip of my life again. I didn't put up with all the Catholic sneezing at Shinto for all these years just to drop out of it before it pays off."

"You're too responsible for your own good."

"Wish I were."

* * *

**Careful what you wish for, Rei. **

**Please review!**


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